Love is not forever and neither are you. Forever is make-believe and that’s okay too.
Like every emotion, your love will change. It can become a new love but it will never the be the same. You will not be who you were last year and your lover won’t be who you fell in love with the next.
If this sounds like the dark ramblings of a single man on Valentine’s Day let me correct you: I am in love and in an excellent relationship. I have a boyfriend who treats me like a prince. I am fortunate.
After a break up a few years back, I wrote a song to sum up the experience of love’s conclusion - it wasn’t about the situation but the feeling it was inevitable, another cycle had run it’s course.
I had been beating myself up for my inability to sustain an emotion before realizing the person I was when I felt that way no longer existed. I’d become someone new and even if the man I fell in love with was still somehow the same, I no longer recognized who he’d fallen for and couldn’t trust his love was meant for the new me.
The loss felt eerily familiar and when I wrote ‘Expiration Date’ I wasn’t thinking just of that particular end but of the temporary nature of…everything.
Now here I am years later - finally releasing the song in what feels like the first truly communicative adult relationship of my life and how awkward to explain that ‘Expiration Date’ is not about him but that I still somehow stand by every word? How can I get him to trust me and the love I declare for him?
My best hope is communication. If I explain these changes as they happen and he does the same then perhaps the love we’ve created can change with us. And the men we are a year from now will have a love that’s unique to them, just like ours today is special to who we are now, in this never to be repeated moment.
It sounded sad when I started but it sounds beautiful now that I’ve finished:
‘Expiration Date’ is on Spotify, iTunes & Amazon
I loved you, for a moment or two,
there was nothing you could say or do.
I loved you. It was real at the time,
but I can't seem to maintain my mind.
I went through states that do have no words,
and I can't seem to bridge the divide.
I tried to. But I didn't see me,
I saw someone else playing make believe.
Sometimes I don't think I need anyone but me
Does time cement or grate away at my belief?
Our love has met the Expiration Date.
I had to admit this wasn't for me,
not situation, but fundamentally.
I failed to protect you from my wrath,
unintentional though ruthless distract.
If something changes after the fact,
it never happened. The past is the past.
If someone changes continuously,
they never were and they never will be.
Sometimes I don't think there is anyone for me.
Because time alters my sense of identity.
So now I can't trust anything I perceive or believe,
Anyone who claims to love or understand me:
My love has met the Expiration Date.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.