Borrowed

A moment awake in
The dead of night
His head on the
Pillow next to mine
Sounding softly
Intake of a breath

The darkness warm
Reassuring, comforting
The moon sneaks in
Shadows kept at bay
His hand rests silently
Lying in mine

With the morning
Only I have the memory
Of that moment
Borrowed from the darkness
Locked away now
For safekeeping

Pieces

Tear open the box and
Toss the pieces on the table
A thousand parts scattered
And turned upside down
Carefully flip them right side up
One by one, piece by piece
But still the picture separated,
Broken parts of the whole
Hold the pieces up to the light
The edges have changed,
Morphed over time
But they still seem not to fit
Together quite right
The task to reassemble
Seems pointless, only
Picture perfect on the cover

Random inspiration V

If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. ~Winston Churchill

He who angers you conquers you. ~Elizabeth Kenny

Anger ventilated often hurries toward forgiveness; and concealed often hardens into revenge. ~Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. ~Carl W. Buechner

It is the passion that is in a kiss that gives to it its sweatness; it is the affection in a kiss that sanctifies it. ~Christian Nevell Bovee

Passion is the genesis of genius. ~Anthony Robbins

What I want

I want to be in a relationship with someone who:

• I am passionate about and who feels the same about me
• Challenges me (though lets me get away with it occasionally)
• Makes me laugh hysterically
• Fights fair
• Will be there when it really matters, and even when it doesn’t
• Includes me in all parts of his life and makes me a priority
• Makes me feel like I really matter, not just when we’re together
• Can be honest with me and himself
• Is willing to have the tough conversations when needed
• Gets along with my friends and family, or is at least willing to really try
• Wants to share the quiet moments with me, as well as the not-so-quiet moments
• Is my biggest cheerleader
• Knows when to step up and take responsibility
• Is great in bed (hey, it never hurts)
• When needed, can put aside the ego and really to try to understand where I’m coming from
• Shares the good times with me, as well as the bad
• Is affectionate at home, as well as when we’re out together or with friends
• At the end of the day, knows that it’s not always going to be easy with me, but that it will always be worth it

I know that it doesn’t all come at once, that it doesn’t all come easily. I know that some of it comes with time. And I know that I’m far from perfect. I know that I don’t always get it right. And I would expect the person I’m with to want these things from me as well.

I would also want that person to know that I’m willing to put in the time, that I’m not going to bail when things get hard. I’m willing to work through the differences. But there also comes a time when I really think that it’s not unreasonable to expect certain levels of engagement, inclusion, communication.

And what do you do when the balance is off? When you can't get past something? Or you feel like the other person isn't getting what you're saying? Is there a time when it’s better to walk away? Or is it the time to hold on and fight for it? I guess it’s hard in any relationship to strike the balance between the two. It can be incredibly frustrating, but when everything is on, it can be wonderful.