Whispered Endearments

When we had first travelled 
Those familiar paths 
You and I,
Our hands almost touching 
As we whispered endearments,
The long road ahead 
Coloured with dreams
We had just begun to share,
How easy had seemed,
The unknown journey 
We had promised 
To walk as one.

It was easy to imagine 
Growing old together,
But had we really known 
The way the path would wind?
Had we seen our older selves 
The way we are today?
The wrinkled hands,
The years lining 
Our faces,
Ravages of illness and loss 
Furrowing our tender brows,
Outlining our eyes 
In varying shades 
Of the night ?

But it matters little,
As little as it mattered then,
When we had just begun ,
Young and naive.
Without the pain,
The passion would be lost,
Without the tears 
The smiles would seem so less,
And without the telling lines
On our timeworn faces,
How would we understand 
The fords we had bridged together?