Jelly Beans

A single jar of jelly beans, neglected, near the shelves
A solemn testimony of two isolated selves
  Of days, once filled with hopefulness, and once-impassioned nights
    So anxious and relieved to finally unionize as one,
  Then wearily lay naked, basking in a softer light  
    As moonbeams poured through windowpanes, when lovemaking was done...
  And in the morning, as the birds began their serenade
    The lovers woke up to a chance to smile, fondle, kiss
  Then, in another consummating moment, love was made:
    The outset of another day of partnership and bliss
A few more jelly beans were thereby added to the store
And more delicious the decanter than the day before

But then the jar of jelly beans just sat, collecting dust
Each speck a testimony to a breach of love or trust
  The wedding band, once willingly exchanged with pounding heart
    Anticipating years of sharing happiness and care
  Yet soon the ring, a fetter, yokes an empty soul embarked
    On lonely, sad sojourning, through decades of despair
  And separate sheets upon the bed, where early on, the two
    Impassioned, filled their candy jar--they now sleep far apart
  Or sometimes in another room!  Until the morning dew
    Brings forth a welcomed chance to leave that hurter of the heart
Until a distant, bitter, unforgiving spirit means
A dusty glass decanter filled with now-stale jelly beans

Need every couple keep their candy dish one-quarter filled?
Or might some empty out so fast, as if the jar were spilled?
  As, one-by-one, they nibble at their candy, running low
    Until the time for refills, made with equal eagerness...
  How many times the jar fills up, the couple never knows
    Although they revel in the cycle of the candy dish
  With pleasure unsubsiding, new excitement of all kinds,
    Broad smiles brought about by simply seeing one another,
  Enjoying holding hands, stimulation in their minds,
    And thankful for each chance to spend impassioned time as lovers
And as the level of the candy ever ebbs and flows
The closeness of the couple ever strengthens, ever grows


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Author’s Note:  When I was about 20, a man told me of an adage he had once heard:  if a couple were to add a penny (or some other token) to a jar every time they made love during their first year of marriage, and then take one out of the jar every time they made love after this first year, many couples--if not most--would never empty the jar.  It was a sad commentary, one that he seemed to believe, based on his personal experiences.  For a long time, I wondered if this was inevitable, or if maybe some couples could avoid such a sharp decline in their intimacy.