The table

The secret really is to put it all on the table.

You earn fifty pounds,
You put the lot on the table,
Top it up and throw it in, as soon as you're able.
You get some extra hours sleep,
Chuck the spare on the table.
You get some time to yourself or some moments of joy, you spread that joy through the very grain of that table.

You both sand it and wax it, do your best to keep it strong.
You treat it for woodworm, for this is where you belong.
This is the heart of your efforts, this is where your marital truth lies.
If you don't honor it, trust it all, this is where your partnership dies.

They'll be times that one needs to take more and the other can cope with less,
They'll be times where you gamble and it's all in a mess,
But so long as these decisions are made with both of you in mind,
And the joys and the sorrows are hand in hand and two combined,
Then you'll weather any storm,
And when it's empty you'll survive.

Because the fibres are strong and your base is good
No matter who puts more on, there's no keeping score on this wood,
It's not tit for tat, it's not mathematics and numbers
It shouldn't leave you feeling trapped, or feeling encumbered,
It's a freedom from the 'self' and the beginning of 'us'
It's the start of something magical, loyal and just.

It's understanding that neither one sits while the other one stands.

And if you still don't understand?

Then man,

you should never have asked for her hand.