A Simple Paint Pan

Loving a stranger
is like cleaning a dirty, worn
paint pan.
Its metallic gleam has not been seem for some time
Layers of paint have made sure of that

The layers represent
all of the many times
this pan has been used
Harshly
For it was never cleaned right

To those with untrained eyes
the thing could be overlooked as ugly
To those who possess patience,
it could be thought of as a challenge

Slowly, with caution
you familiarize yourself
with the shape
smell
overlapping colors
Soon, that's not enough
You need more
Driven by these needs
You begin to chip away
resisting coats of armor

At first, they barely yield
Eventually
Cool water
cascades upon them
The coats melt away eagerly

Idly, you trace the stubborn spots of color
that all your coaxing
couldn't remove
The mercurial look doesn't bother you
That unique spotting of colors,
blinding shine,
is what built its differences
and the pan's character
along with your love for it