10 days in. I will be choosing three poems to share here. The best ones, so far, I think. Here is choice #1:
Love Letters
This back and forth
Exchange of mail
Sent in packets
Through time
Sways through the air
Like lovers
Moving in a slow
Tentative dance
I bear my heart
You bear yours –
Our words embracing us and each other
Electronic ink
Temporarily standing in for
Our hands
Our breaths
Our lips
And sighs
Hello love, how do you do?
I think I’m somewhat missing you
But don’t you worry ’cause I’ll be alright
‘Cause you’re the one who makes me smile at night
And in the morning and the evening and the afternoon
So let’s just chill, relax, we’ll see each other soon
And be together, together, again
(Mari Anjeli, LDR Story)
Here we are, living out this LDR Story. Here we are, connected by the Internet, by cellphone lines, by thoughts and prayers — attempting to bridge the gap. I’m not going to complain any longer. I am grateful for what we have.
Being grateful does wonders. Being grateful and looking forward – these, along with lots of heart-rending prayers are my secrets. They are some of my keys to staying strong. Because when there are too many miles, too many minutes, too many days, too many weeks, too many months between us, it’s far too easy to either be numb or weak. But I choose to be neither.
I look forward to moments your name pops up on screen. To moments my blue Nokia phone buzzes, may it be in the middle of the day or night (as it often does). I look forward to hearing your voice – hyped up at times, crazed out some others, but my favorite is when it’s slow and relaxed. Most of all, I look forward to moments when I’m physically next to you, when we’re holding hands, when all these times we are apart become distant memories we have used to teach us, to strengthen us.
I know we’ll be able to see this through. By the grace of God, we will see this through.
He cooked for me, you know. This October, when he fetched me from the airport.
“Let’s have breakfast. Do they charge for corkage here?”
They didn’t. I ordered hot tea for me and an iced chocolate drink for him. He brought out two plastic containers filled with spaghetti, and then a third filled with bread sticks. He then brought out two sets of colorful utensils – two plastic spoons; two plastic forks.
“Wow!”
“I ate my lunch at my work station so that I could buy the ingredients for this. I cooked this after work at the girls’ house. I told them you just threw random stuff into your frying pan so I wanted to cook for you this time. And you know how costly airport food is.”
“I know. Aww. Thank you.”
“And I bought this, too. Tada! It’s really yum.”
“Carrot cake! I’ve been craving for something sweet all week!”
“There you go. Cravings satisfied.”
“Thank you.”
I had found myself moping because he only gave me flowers that one time. But as I chewed on the spaghetti, as I took a bite from the cake, I realized how incredibly loved I was.
“Is it good?”
“It is.”
All these pages still unwritten
All these stories still untold
All these memories which are still to be
A budding love still to unfold
I know we’re only just about to begin
But I want to make each second count
Together or far apart as we are
Every word, every breath, every touch
Gonna live each moment out
On this new journey with you
Gonna write new memories with you
Sing out new melodies with you
Soar and chase new dreams with you
The door is wide open we’ll enter in
The path is laid out we’ll just step in
Here comes a life we’ll both be sharing
Here comes a tale we’ll both read out
Here comes a song about you and me my love
That my heart can’t wait to sing out
You taste like tiramisu — you are bitter and sweet. (Valentine by Wendy Austyn)
Goodbyes are strange. I don’t look forward to them, but sometimes I do.
I hate how a familiar searing pain creeps up to my chest whenever I think about being torn away from you. But I love the warm fuzzy feeling I get when I’m blanketed by that hug you only give out at airport departure areas. I would receive that hug more often but that would mean I should bid you farewell more often, too.
Sigh. Goodbyes taste too much like tiramisu.
Midnight. I hold a key in my hand. My fingers tremble, my breath comes in staggered gasps, but I will myself to calm down.
This is it. This is the moment. This is the night I will unlock that box and dare to take a look at the book hidden inside. This is the night I will finally get to know what is written in those pages, what secrets and stories are scribbled and scrawled concerning these two lives that were somehow caused to collide.
I feel an arm on my shoulder. He is here. He smiles warmly. I smile back.
We make our way towards the chest. In silence, we stand. In silence, I put the key I had been fumbling with into hands which are stronger, surer, and more secure.
True, it was he who gave me that key. But though I’ve been already keeping it for a month, I wanted him to be with me in the grand unlocking of the greatest love story. He had already given me the right to do the key turning, but I wanted the person to do it to be him — not me.
And so after 3 years of watching and praying, after 18 months of courting and waiting, after 1 month of Lala Land bliss —
After anticipating God’s perfect timing — finally.
Finally, I see what is scribbled in the silver-lined pages.
And finally, I see the abundant spaces where more stories are waiting, waiting to be written in.
You should also read:
Write a review of your life — or the life of someone close to you — as if it were a movie or a book.
Photographers, artists, poets: show us LIFE.
And so I turned to art. Eden. Life. Delight.
via http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/daily-prompt-four-stars/
Tell us about the last time you were really, truly jealous of someone. Did you act on it? Did it hurt your relationship?
Photographers, show us something GREEN.
Jealous of the girl who caught your eye
One of my darker days
When you looked at her where was I?
Should have been in her place
Here I am
All alone imagining what might have been
What could have been
If I had been there
Jealous of the one whose arms are around you
If she’s keeping you satisfied
Jealous of the one who finally found you
Made your sun and your stars collide
La la la la la la la
She’s a very very lucky girl
La la la la la la la
Jealous of the one who won your heart
They say it’s a perfect match
She’s gonna get to be where you are
And I don’t get better than that
She’ll say you’re fine
Whisper words I wish were mine
And they might have been
If I had been there
You know I’d fight the good fight
If I thought I’d change your mind
But if she makes you happy
I would leave that dream behind
Man, she better treat you right
And give you everything
Cause at the moment she doesn’t
I’ll be waiting in the wings
La la la la la la la
She’s a very very lucky girl
(Jealous by Nina)
I used to sing this song over and over. To different boys, because of different girls, mouthing out heartbreaks and heartaches and God-knows-what other matters of the heart.
But then I caught your eye. Oh wait — love, I think you caught mine.
It has been a crazy, sweet, and at times heart-wrenchingly rough process. But we made it through. And we’ll continue to make it through.
I am loved. You are loved.
We will make it through.
To every girl out there hoping for love to come by — my dears, don’t fret. Love is worth the wait.
To every man mustering up the courage and strength to pursue love — proceed with wisdom and care. Love is always worth the fight.
So I’ll say goodbye to the green-eyed monster. Today I’ll say hello to love.
via http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/daily-prompt-green-eyed-monster/
scribbles and stories 