Expectations

To find someone who meets your expectations
may be the worst that could happen,
a time bomb dressed as a gift,
a fluke of chance
which becomes,
in your imagination,
an entitlement,
and then a prison.

To live the illusion
that what you prefer
should be your birthright
is to be unprepared,
and eventually blindsided,
by the inevitability of change
and disappointment.

Better, then,
to embrace the imperfect,
to cherish the impermanent,
and feel blessed by whatever comes,
desired or not.

To love someone’s flaws
and their virtues,
equally,
is to love them fully.

But to love only
what is desired,
is to love an empty dream.