We’ve all seen them….
The people with the glazed over eyes
        Stuck halfway in that world
                   And halfway in this
Their clothing still covered in grave dust
         From the skeletons they wrestled with all through the night.

“We have history,” they say
         But now it’s a fairytale
                   And they can’t let go….

The topography of the human soul can’t be learned in a day.
I ******* my bag and look out across the valleys and mountains that make you you
And feel both exhilarated and frightened.

I see beautiful, sunlit plains
Dappled with wild flowers
And vibrating with the joy of life.
I also see dark caves
Filled with shadowy, dangerous corners
And echoing with whispers of ghosts of the past.

I take a deep breath and take the first step.
I have my whole life to explore this land,
And I intend to learn and embrace every inch of it.

*North
South
East
And West.

Tiny little planets
Spin aimlessly in their fixed orbits
Concerned only with what occurs on their own surface
As they travel blissfully oblivious to the worlds they go hurtling past on a daily basis

Until one day they look up
And notice another lonely planet passing close
And everything is forever changed
As gravity takes control

They are pulled closer and closer
Helpless but not wanting to be helped
They are drawn together until their surfaces touch
And their worlds collide in a flash of brilliance

The result can be the most beautiful thing they have ever experienced
*Or the most horrific.

Your expert fingers gently
    strum and pluck at my strings                
Making every inch of me sing.

My body thrums
    With each staccato beat
And goosebumps ***** my skin as we race towards the crescendo.

The music peaks
    And beautifully tuned notes entwine
In heart-stopping harmony.

Your bass blends
    With my soprano
In a perfect balance of tone and pitch.

In the stillness that follows
    The music fades
Into a duet of breathy sighs.

And then we :||

Thorium
Iodine
Sulfur
Iodine
Sulfur
Lithium
Iron

*Don't waste it.

Fed up with the ways of men,
I decided to create my own,
And he would be perfect.

I took a chunk of wood and began to carve,
My knife coaxing each perfect body part into existence:
Dark eyes
Full lips
Broad shoulders
Long legs
Strong hands
And a perfect...well...you know.

Then I carved the magic word into his chest
And he became flesh.

He did everything a woman wanted:
He listened well
Never talked back
Never got mad
Made love on command
And said those words we all crave
"I love you"

All with eyes as empty as bottomless pits.

1+1=2
This is what my teacher taught me
As I sat in class with blond pigtails trailing down my back
And dreams as big as the endless sky
Dancing through my child mind.

1+1=1
This is what you taught me
As my hair hung loose and long down my back
And I lost myself in those deep, brown eyes
As the silver moon watched our slow, slow grind.

1+1=3
This is what our son taught me
As my hair lay tussled and messy down my back
And the hospital room filled with newborn cries
As I held his tiny hand in mine.  


*What will the next lesson be?