Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita

       Who could forget, fall of that august year, where we stole clawed, tooth and nail, from Time moments to connect across oceans, to share, laugh, cry, cheer, wish and yes, love. I can never forget (I will never forget) how, as the days grew short, and dusk crept ever sooner — ever longer — you appeared from out of nowhere to breathe life (What was it? A friendly hug, a word that you have been there before, and a tender wish to hang in there?), hope, and sense, into this husk again. Like the salamander, I survived the conflagration. Heaven, however, requires its Beatrice...

Yes, I missed you too.


-ben