Fiction, music, poetry, and the occasional drawing…
I hope, for you,
the singing of the insects is
a shimmery, summery sound
I hope the water that trickles
across the slippery rocks
brings you something that can pass for peace
I hope the light
that filters through
the endless rows of branches,
casts its longest shadows
on the grass that almost tickles
your bare toes and heels and arches
in a way that makes you
smile
When I say I never knew your name, I am not talking about the one your parents gave you. I am talking about the one you gave yourself. You know the one I mean, the one that bubbled to the surface of your life on a hot summer night, like this one, when you were all alone in your room, feeling inexplicably sad but hopeful.
This name was not one that you had heard before, yet you instantly recognized it as yours.
Although at that time I was hundreds of miles away from you, and had not met you, and could not hear the name you gave yourself, I felt the reverberations of its echo.
When I am calm enough, I still can.
The thing in me that
your long look kindled,
that grew and blossomed
under the soft light
of an all-forgiving sun
will not wither
will not die
but also will not grow again
The thing in me that
made me feel like something new
has turned around to look at me from the other side
and makes me feel like something old
The thing in me that
keeps me warm when the sun goes down and
keeps me cool when everything boils,
that keeps me calm when the bullets fly and
alerts me when the whole world sleeps
has reached the end of the circle and
like a song at the end of a verse it
has come to a chorus that will repeat
until the fade
Every leaf on every branch of every tree in the forest
dances to a different tune
Every star that twinkles with a million-year-old light
looks all the way into you
Every bit of foam on every wave in every sea
likes to know that you are here
And every moment of a lifetime in eternity
offers up its own opportunity
Every brick in every wall we build to keep us apart
cries to be taken down
every lie we ever told and all that we believed
hide from us now
we’re stalking something wild and empty
without a penny, or a gun
we’re following the trail of something free, and
we never will be done
we never will be done
The time for us was never right
but even right goes dark at night
Even right goes wrong sometimes
and desperation blurs the lines
The time for us is always now
When it ends, we won’t know how
all the pieces fit in place
that scattered into empty space
The place for us is on a hill
that balances the wild and still,
that overflows its narrow banks,
and walks on weatherbeaten planks
The time for us will never end
The road is long and does not bend
With love, you cannot lose the fight
The time for us is always right
My love is like the sun
it will hide behind clouds
it will make you blind
it will burn you to ash
My love is like the sun
millions of miles away
its light still shines
and turns your skin a luscious red
My love is like the sun
looking down on this tired world
going down when you need its light
and rising when you need to sleep
My love is like the sun
some day it will implode
and turn into a black hole
that swallows everything
Twenty-nine years ago today the law finally caught up with us after a decade on the lam. The commitment forged by my love for Nancy, and hers for me, became a legally binding one in the time-honored ceremony known as marriage. We made our declarations in front of our dear family and friends, and asked one of our oldest and closest friends, Terrence McDonnell, to say a few words. These are the ones he came up with:
What is love?
What is love?
Love is an unconditional commitment of the mind, body and soul
Love comes in many different facets,
many different meanings and
many different ways.
Love is not always kind
Love is not always gentle
But love is always shared
and love is always everlasting
Wishing love for each other is a power that grows and strengthens with
every passing day,
every passing moment,
every passing year.
But wishing love from oneself is the most important
The exchanging of marriage vows begins, reinforces and continues the gift and the overwhelming joy of love.
This is love. This is love
I do take this man to be my husband.
I do take this woman to be my wife.
I do take this person to be my friend
to be my companion
to be my love
This is love
This is love
This is love
