Trish's Ode

"ODE TO ONCE AND AGAIN"...by Trish

T'were the days after Christmas,
And all through my head,
Only one thought was stirring,
'The romance is dead.'

Two middle-aged lovers whose eyes one day met,
New love and second chances you don't often get.
Carpools and dinner and a first kiss so sweet,
Then bowling and groping and a steamy front seat.
She was scared to go further, it was just way to soon,
So they hugged and they kissed by the light of the moon.
Their desires then took over so they went to her house,
And got caught by her family making out on the couch.
She thought it all over but she just couldn't see,
How they could be together. She wasn't really free.
He said it was 'special', it wouldn't be in vain,
'Cause maybe, just maybe, they'd find love once again.
So they tried it once more, but they'd need to go slow,
She'd come over one night and they'd see how things go.
But with last minute worries tho' the hour was late,
She gave him a call and she canceled their date.
Then he figured it out that she was just plain afraid,
That he was only some jerk, just trying to get laid.
So they talked of their hopes, assumptions and fears;
"I don’t want anyone else", he said through his tears.
If they could be lovers it would make his heart sing,
But she wasn't yet ready, so he proposed 'other things'.
He led her upstairs and they stripped to their skin,
Then they climbed in his bed and she let him begin.
She tried and she cried and she gave a wee shudder,
Then she slowly warmed up to sex with a rubber.
But her fear overcame her and she sobbed out her plea;
"Could you be the man that I need you to be?"
He held her so tight and rocked her safe in his arms,
'Til she uttered "Hello" and gave in to his charms.
And as they lay tangled when the 'deed' was done,
They played games of footsies with bare nekkid bums.
We all watched with glee as their story was told,
As he tried to move forward she ran hot and cold.
She was always so worried what others might say,
And they gave in to passion both night and day.
They tried to keep secret the love they were feeling,
Stole glances, snuck kisses, their heads were a'reeling.
Then finally the time came to act so much bolder,
She walked up to him and laid her hand on his shoulder.

And all the town gossips could see for themselves,
They had eyes for each other and nobody else.
"To hell what folks think" the lovers decide,
It was out in the open, they weren't going to hide.
The weeks came and went and they loved and they lusted,
They shared tubs of bubbles and finally got busted.
The sister came back a bit sooner then planned,
She was hoping to check out this handsome new man.
They met all the children and things went astray,
Dragons and daughters kept the lovers at bay.
Celebration smoothies and hikes put on hold,
He sliced off his finger and then passed out cold.
A knight is his armor riding high on a horse,
Convictions and coffee bars knock them off course.
Worrying 'bout money and paying the bills,
Rescuing damsels. It's a clash of wills.
A weekend away with his ex to the game,
Their son learning lessons and feeling pain.
Connecting doorways and wet towelled bodies,
His lingering look. Her rotated undies.
And all the demands and pressures at work,
He's pulling overtime, feels like a jerk.
'A little girl moment' has her feeling ignored,
He's got fifteen minutes, so they do 'it' on the floor.
Parties and sirens, music and racket,
Liquor and drugs and black leather jackets.
Too drunk to drive and hearts worn on sleeves,
"Come kiss your boyfriend" under the trees.
The family gathers 'round to share a big feast,
But he's out by the trash like a used piece of meat.
The ex has the favour of the kids and her folks,
He's all by himself thinking life's a cruel joke.
Sleepovers, pancakes, she can't find her bra,
She hurries back home in her shiny black car.
The house is on fire, there's smoke pouring in,
She's feeling his pressure, and about to give in.
She soon gets re-wired in every sense of the word,
Then wakes up next morning and feels like a turd.
She puts on her lipstick and breaks down in tears,
If he ever finds out is her one biggest fear.

She lies and pulls back to hide her deep shame,
He knows something's wrong, things just aren't the same.
A trip to the mall, a panic attack,
Her guilt overwhelms, but there's no turning back.
He gathers his doubts and he puts them aside,
He says that he trusts her, it's a matter of pride.
Then he offers his hand, 'cause it's too hard alone,
It's better if two build a gingerbread home.
And just when we thought he was going to forgive,
That all would be well and happy they'd live,
She fessed up and told 'bout a mistake she had made,
Her ex had come over, cried and got laid.
She'd hurt him so deeply, knocked his breath clear away,
His eyes filled with tears and his soul with dismay.
He left with her knowing the pain he was feeling,
She had plunged the knife into the core of his being.
And later she came 'round to mend their big fight,
But he walked away slowly in the dark of the night.
He left her there standing and she couldn't believe.
They had fallen in love. Oh why did he leave?
Weeks later they met quite by chance you could see,
But he wasn't then able to let the past be.
Try as he might, she still haunted his head,
He started to weep, alone on his bed.
It was true he still loved her, everyone knew,
But it just wasn't fair she'd kept a secret or two.
'Their love was so right, but the timing was wrong',
It just wouldn't work. She'd been right all along.
He said it was over, then wished her good luck,
They kissed goodbye sadly by the side of her truck.
He then started crying and soon she did too,
They kissed one more time, their lips stuck like glue.
His heart it was breaking, "I can't let you go,"
She whispered "Thank God" 'cause now I know,
How near I have come to losing this man,
And she held him tight when he reached for her hand.
And the fans all rejoiced. The lovers were back!
They now could spend time getting things back on track.
They both were so thankful knowing how close they came,
To losing each other. Love's a hard game.

And as we were praying that all was OK,
Her life hit some bumps every turn of the way.
If it wasn't the kids, her dad or her ex,
One thing was clear, there was no time for sex.
They started to work on repairing the damage,
Tho' it was eating him up, he was trying to manage.
But whenever she kissed him, he pulled clear away,
He wasn't ready to talk. He had nothing to say.
He kept seeing her with him, her 'expression' so clear,
Just where did they do 'it'? He was anxious to hear.
But the only way back to the way they once were,
Was to put it behind him. Or face losing her.
He told her he loved her, could not live without her,
She smiled, she kissed him and jumped him all over.
And then when we'd hoped that some lovin' was comin',
They faded to black. We wound up with nothin'.
Crickets and valentines, falls of Niagara,
Still no romance in this heart tugging saga.
Difficult places, a new job to find,
She brushes him off, we're losing our minds.
Shakespeare and crashes, she wakes before dawn,
Dad's in a heap and soon will be gone.
They sit by his bedside and it's taking its toll,
While they wait for his body to catch up with his soul.
The rabbi's at Shiva, his black lab's at home,
They duck into the playhouse for time on their own.
A house full of mourners, her mother and brother,
He always stands by her, but no time for lovers.
Week after week we all watched in vain,
But he's almost a no-show time and again.
A lot of things changed as her life moved on,
The romance had fizzled, the spark was gone.
Her life was so busy, she barely had time,
He patiently waited at the end of her line.
She was so wrapped up in her own little world,
She'd failed to notice his sails were furled.
She told him "come over, the kids are away",
She had work to do, but later they'd play.
But when he suggested some midnight delight.
He settled for noodles. No lovin' that night.

They met up with his ex and her young doctor friend,
Then he found out the sister's affair didn't end.
When the truth slipped out, he got all flustered inside,
He was not only 'hot, he was burning up alive.
And as he lay sleeping on a hospital bed,
She slowly came over and stroked his sweet head.
She looked in his eyes, said she loved him so much,
No words were spoken. You could tell by her touch.
It finally had hit her like a ton of stone,
If she took him for granted she'd wind up alone.
It was time to start giving him back in return.
She'd lost him once. A hard lesson she'd learned.
She then spoke of omens and a note in a sweater,
How they each had 4 kids and things would get better.
It was time for the families to be all as one,
She'd order some pizza and they should all come.
And as the door opened and the two families met,
They smiled at each other and we nearly wept.
The Sammlers and Mannings all in one room,
It had taken forever and came none to soon.
So that's where they left us at the end of the year.
And we waited all summer just hoping to hear,
That the 'ripples' had calmed, smooth sailing ahead.
But the honeymoon was over. The romance was dead.
As the story continues we're holding our breath,
We pray that you hear us and fill our request.
You promised us love and romance and things,
We're begging for some 'action', maybe a ring.
Now don't get me wrong. We love what you do.
It's the best show around and we're grateful to you.
Tho' we love all the stories, told with such vigour,
We're missing the rush and the magic. Go figure.
So talk to your writers and order it done,
Time is a'wasting, we need romance and fun.
We want huggin' and kissin' and snoggin' and such,
All those good things. We miss them so much.
We can't wait much longer, we're going insane,
It just isn't fair, this wicked game.
So Dear Mr. Herskovitz and Mr. Zwick,
We desperately wanting MORE Lily and Rick!