I have heard that Hindsight is 20/20 vision. If that is the case, then going through the experience itself is surely a prerequisite to the insights in the first place, warts'n all.
Having accumulated my fair share of relationship encounters, I dedicate the following to those still seeking their ideal love or have travelled the path.
***********************************************
Relationships are a tough terrain to navigate.
You may have in your possession a compass of past mistakes
And rubber soles thick from your heart's previous rips.
You may even have the "I will conquer this once and for all" attitude.
After the initial glee & excitement of a traveller setting foot on new land
After the novelty has eroded,
You find yourself in desolate unchartered territory,
Feeling alone, lost and afraid.
You question your decision to have come here in the first place.
Somewhere in the distance, you assume, you hope, there exists an oasis.
There, you would jump into pools of beautiful blue water.
There, you would find joy, wrap yourself in the luxury of laughter, your soul's true desire.
As the vision of this paradise fades before your eyes,
It is replaced by a sand storm, corrosive against your pupils.
Tears well up in the corner of your eyes as the excruciating pain of the dust stings your core.
And now the tears come from the depths of your struggling spirit.
Why had you come here?
Why had you foolishly subjected yourself to this torture?
And the pain... the sharp pain that is drowning your heart.
All for what?... for the unanswered promise of a happy land.
You let out a loud scream!
But your echos are drowned out by the howling chaos all around you.
You sob and sob. You wail and wail, releasing your desperate cries of torment.
But no one hears you.
You have lost all bearings.
You curl up in a fetal position on the ground,
Helpless, forlorn,
Surrendering to the cruelty of the desert storm.
Seconds and minutes go by,
Hours, Days,
You have lost count.
There is no clock.
As you re-engage conscious thought,
You realize that the sand storm has passed
And you are now surrounded by silence,
A peaceful calm seems to be holding you now.
Gradually, you lift your face from behind your own hands.
The wrath of nature has indeed disappeared
Substituted by the serene caress
Of a hopeful breeze.
You release a deep sigh, gather your strength
And take yet another step into the unknown lands,
Towards the direction of the Sun in the horizon,
Towards the image of the paradise you foresaw in your dreams.
**********************************************
