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Soul Mate

by Francine Schwartz

Now that I know
What you’ve always known
It calms me
Like your hand
Moving across my forehead
When I was sick.

You were my touchstone, my light.
The fondest and most forgiving
Of all that it is
Me.

And when you chased me in the silence
I heard you calling my name.
Because in spite of all my earthly adventures
My soul belonged with you.

And now, with every breath
You’re all around me.
Masquerading as a moving shadow on the wall.
Fencing the reflections of wind chimes
Spiraling endlessly in the breeze.
Nowhere. And
Everywhere.

Imagine. Sometimes
I tried to run away —
Wild horses in the rain
Trying to break free from you.

But
That’s not how it is with soul mates.
For us there is no separation.
I saw it in your eyes
That day we met.
It wasn’t the first time.
But you didn’t believe in such things. Remember?
I did.

And in the old fortress in France
Where we climbed the crooked, narrow steps of stone,
And sat on the edge of the crenelated wall,
When you told me you’d been there before
The words escaped you
Like a sigh during sleep
And we looked far into each other’s eyes.
I felt it too.
We had been.

It would take a thousand poems
To even begin
To tell you how much
I miss you.
And I’ll write them all, you’ll see.

Each day I’ll speak to you
In interconnected sentences
Woven carefully
With all the stories we told
In all the lifetimes we’ve
Shared.
Now and in the future.

You’re my smile, my breath, my laugh.
You’re all the secrets we’ve
Kept.
Do you hear me
When I tell you
That all I want to do
Tonight and forever
Is hold you in my arms
And in the morning
To still find you there
Instead of only me.

Listening to the
Silhouettes of my imagination.
I feel a gentle current move past my lips
The wind lifts my hair in flapping waves.
And then I smile.
Because I know. You’re
Not gone.
You’re my air.
How can the air be missing?


Copyright © 2009 by Francine Schwartz

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