read a story [poem]

I read a story where
a man struggled with a history of
bad choices and trust issues
and couldn’t get past his own demons
to reach the woman he loved
in time to make her stay
I read a story where
a woman picked herself up
one broken promise at a time
and found the strength to trust people
again and again
without letting cynicism
harden her heart into diamond
I read a story where
a pair of childhood friends pushed past
years of silence and distance
to find that web of love and laughter
still strung up between them
I read a story
or two
or three
every single day
because seeing a million ways to love someone else
gives me hope for my own happily ever after