Lanterns on Distant Shores

third of three poems written for public presentation this week, for Valentine's Day.

For you are the reason

I have the courage to explore

what the mystics warned me about.

When you placed that lantern

on this world’s tallest rock,

told me to look for you in parables,

and then trusted me to find the way

without a guide. You painted

a signpost in a language

only you and I recall. If you think

I am writing this, for you,

you are probably correct. We were

perhaps less timid

with each other’s bodies,

in other lives, other worlds;

we are maybe less reckless

for remembering that now.

However, I am sure

I would definitely know you,

from anywhere.

Author's Note

this poem is a meditation on the friend who you recognize as the soul companion; the one with whom you can be safe sharing your inexplicable heart and mystic experiences. Not necessarily a romantic partner, and different from the soul; these are people you grow with and into.