It seems funny to have a thing

A song, a place, a movie

Associated with a person

Yes, this is our song

We claim it

No, it cannot be your song

Because it is our song

We hold on to this

Sentimental, hallowed

Like it means something

Now that I think about it

It seems funny to have a person

It pleases me

The way that people now refer to spouses

As partners

This is what they’ve always been

We’re only just now realizing it

It is amusing to think

That I chose this person

I choose to exclusively belong to this person

To share my belongings with them

As well as my secrets

We are friends

We are lovers

We are in love with our friendship

I choose this person to be the other half of me

I choose to no longer have just my name in a sentence

Our names are always mashed together

In other people’s mouths

Youme

Meyou

Like a contraction of two words

We become one word

This is what having a partner means

I like the term partner

Because it doesn’t have to mean husband or wife

At its basis, it means friend

It means someone you can rely on

Someone you trust

To hold you up

Catch you when you fall

You are a pair

Not like shoes or socks,

Where one could get lost

Like pants

Attached at the crotch

Glasses

Attached at the nose

A partner

Someone to fight

Alongside you

In battle

Win or lose

Even when

You disagree

You fight

You lay blame

You resent

This is your person

This is your partner

This is who you’ve chosen

Voluntarily

To be the name contracted with yours

This is who you’ve chosen

To work with

Yes, work

Is in the very definition

Of partner

Being part of a contraction

Is work

Sometimes it’s hard

Sometimes it’s enjoyable

And you will only get out what you put in

It is funny to think

That there is a person

Who we attach ourselves to

On the basis of physical attributes:

Your eyes are just the right shade of blue-green

Your hand fits nicely with mine

On the basis of interests:

You like pasta?

Holy hell, me too!

On the basis of the innate animal part of ourselves that we have deemed a “sex drive”:

You make my knees weak

Like my legs can’t help but open to you

On the basis of anything

We attach ourselves to people

Why?

I believe

Greek mythology

Explains it best:

When the gods created man,

He was made with

Four arms,

Four legs,

And two heads

It was decided

That man was too powerful,

Too dangerous in this form

So the gods split him in half

Thus, man wanders the earth

In a constant search for the other half of his soul