Very clever substitutions, particularly "Love caused such uneasy games two play." In the 3rd verse, should "row" be "now"?

Thanks, JJ; coming from you, that's especially appreciated. By "row" I meant dispute or argument over the preceding assertion in quotes. "Now" also would fit but I used it twice.

OK, that makes sense. I probably should have realized that first time around.

Yes, I endorse JJ - you really breathed new life into this done-to-death evergreen. Your footnotes were commendably helpful.

But I don't think the ruling quite lays the issue to rest. I have some mixed feelings on it, not so much concerning gays but how we see the institution of marriage in general. Do couples really need it to show commitment, be it emotional or financial or whatever? Its main advantage seems to be to make the raising of children less complicated and to achieve social acceptance in conservative communities. Even some heteros don't feel the need for that. Two of my siblings have/had successful and long-term partnerships without it, and I'm talking several decades.

Then of course there's the religious aspect, but that doesn't factor in, for me.