on the Pilgrimage

I am one, acquainted with the night treading down endless sidewalks to destinations unknown over the next rise or around the next bend which seems to never come Past houses, dark and quiet like mammoth creatures with gaping eye and mouth, in opaque stares frozen in stillness and time Perhaps from one comes forth beam from lonely window guiding home a weary sailor to warm bed and welcoming arms but all around is soundless desertion unbroken as it will always remain Down rain-soaked streets I travel lined with diamond shimmer circles, jagged flashes of glittering white-light, crystal string of pearls in peeking moonlight And on through dusky mists like a phantasm gliding along the cat-like wisps of vapor silent and still in death like trance I feel the bodies from far and near in gutter and in bed shivering in single grip or limbs entwined from heated stroke still for the moment, but not peace resting weary bones and spirits escaping from pain and toil of lif...

I have this theory … and I’m not sure how much of it is from desperation vs. how much of it is from actual seeking and embracing. I believe that it is possible, even healthy, to ‘live romantically’ … and it has nothing to do with whether one is involved in a boy/girlfriend relationship or not. Oh, sure, there is an element of a ‘relationship’ that is conducive to ‘romance’ ~ I won't deny that ~ but I don’t think that one is dependent on the other. Let me see if I can explain … Dictionary.com defines ‘romance’ as “ardent emotional attachment or involvement between people; love; a mysterious or fascinating quality or appeal, as of something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful” among other definitions. ‘Live’ is defined as “to pursue a positive, satisfying existence; enjoy life; to practice in one's life.” Those are the denotative explanations, and yes, those are the basis for my theory … but in my heart, it is OH SO MUCH MORE!!! And when I teach, it is my goal t...