Life

I wished,

for one person, one cat, and one partner,

to stay together till the end of our days;

I wished,

for one zither, one painting, and one reclining chair,

to lounge in carefree ease;

I wished,

for one cup of tea, one newspaper, and a brookside seat,

to bask in tranquil contentment;

I wished,

for every mountain and stream to gleam green,

and for carbon neutrality.

I wished...

I wished...

I wished

for every loving couple under heaven to find their match,

and for the years ahead to promise dreams that stretched forever;

this was life.

Indeed,

life, after all,

wasn't just the drudgery of what lay before us,

but also poetry, distant horizons, and open fields.