In a universe far far away There lived a penguin, whose thoughts did weigh Heavily on his mind. He thought of a vast array of things big and small But there was one facet he thought of most of all.. Love. Love being that for a penguin See he had a lot of love within him Waiting to burst out like when the other penguins laughed at him when he declared, "I will find a soulmate". Poor Billy would just feel sad and lonely as to why there was hate All he wanted was the perfect date. Billy often wondered if the love within him would dissipate And if love and his existence do collate. Ohhhh he was the biggest flirt.... of ideas And he was a dancer He tangoed around them gracefully. Care free because he loved mooning about And it's the reason his love life was in doubt. Each night before closing his eyes and falling asleep There was something he said 3 times before counting sheep. Eyes shut tightly, he wishfully yearned "I wish I had a soulmate" again and again. So from here he slept and dreamt and dreamt To the gods his wish was now sent. The next day Billy checked his mail A funny old letter that was written in brail. Fear not, Billy was a clever penguin and read it thoroughly. Firstly, he was told today you'll meet your soulmate Secondly, you'll be shown the finer things in life Lastly, unfortunately it will only last 24 hours. All Billy cared about was positivity His love life now to be full of activity. He wittingly got himself prepared,.making sure he looked his best No longer repressed but today was the day he professed.... KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! A penguin shaped silhouette appeared through the door Billy excitedly reached for the emergency rose on the drawer. He waddled nervously towards his destiny On opening the door the was hit with such radiant energy So strong it knocked poor Billy off his feet Instantly she laughed and chuckled, "Oh how sweet! You are very silly" And announced, "My name's Lily, what's yours?" With a quiver he replied, "Billy" He showed her the rose and she was in tears. Upon touching her little wing he felt an instant connection Between Billy and Lily there was only affection. They waddled into town and she showed him things he'd never seem before He was fascinated by all she knew, her knowledge of the outdoors. Oh Billy absorbed it all, whatever she said he listened He looked in her eyes oh boy they glistened. Lily was of radiant nature A kind of penguin that's few and far between She was just like the penguin in all of Billy's dreams. Billy admired the curvature of her eyes and her enormous eyelashes It made his heart flutter, he was the phoenix rising from the ashes. Lily loved painting and suggested they make portraits of each other "Yes! I love painting!", he responded... Oh he was a bluffer. With only 6 hours left of their time together He knew this would be something that would last forever. And so they painted, painted and painted some more For Billy the brush and the canvas were at war But Lily's was a masterpiece a palaces decor. They adored each others paintings Maintaining the same love they shared for the last 20 hours. And time passed and passed and passed And at long last Billy did something he had never done before They kissed (or beaked) With all the love that had amassed He no longer needed to ask. It was such a warm embrace so warm like sun rays From that moment their love was enlaced. And suddenly she had gone Vanished. Billy's heart now drowning in tears But his soul was now varnished a different colour never to fear. Lily left behind the portrait and a note On it she wrote " Love you, forever" A day in his life he would forever treasure. They spoke in a different language only known to them And found delight in their flickering partnership, oh it was a gem. What Billy learnt that day was to value every moment you've got Because life is for living and love cannot be borrowed and certainly not bought. Billy stayed forever humble and loved each day In his heart Lily 'the expiry date' forever stayed.