A stone archway beckons me forward

As I stand in the entryway, the light from the noon sun crashing into me

Blinded by it, I close my eyes.

A familiar voice soothes me as I absorb the warmth from above

‘I wait for you up ahead’

It was somewhere I longed to be but had never been.

I was eager to prove myself. I was eager to show my feathers, to strut and be my true animal.

I opened my eyes, and although dazed by the light, I took a few steps toward the voice.

I could make out a shadowed figure, standing straight and tall but I couldn’t see their face.

I could feel her before I could make her out,

Feel her heat, raw and passionate,

Feel her heart, beating with a drive that could change the world

I clutched her hand, and I felt a calmness in the winds of my mind.

Inside, instead of swirling in the chaos, my ship was righted, and the seas were fair,

The day light faded as the dark grew long,

My boat rising and falling with the tide,

never capsizing, always true in heading.

I look out toward a new horizon, clear and hopeful  

As the curtain falls….