Lessons from the Love Birds

When it comes to love and marriage,
you should really know my friends.
They are classy, cute and funny.
Real life Barbie. Real life Ken.

Les and Leslie, like two parrots
guard the cage of love that lasts
From their perch, they glimpse the future
by reflecting on the past.

Yes, my feathered friends are love-birds
who have learned that feelings lie;
that warm fuzzies fueled by courtship
will in time sprout wings and fly.

They have also learned the secret
to what helps a marriage thrive.
Understanding and commitment.
will keep fading love alive.

More or less, both Les and Leslie
are convinced relationships
are like sailboats weighing anchor
as they leave where they've been slipped.

Where they travel is determined
by the way the breezes blow.
How you guide the sail and rudder,
how you act on what you know.

Ken and Barbie are but plastic.
Les and Leslie are quite real.
And their website's more than birdseed.
It's a fifty-five course meal.

* Les and Leslie Parrott's popularity as psychologists and authors is attested to by the enthusiastic response that marks their marriage enrichment workshops. They are the founders of the Institute for Relationship Development at Seattle Pacific University. Their interactive website can be accessed at www.realrelationships.com