Chapter 1: The Secrets We Hold

In my grasp lies the essence of existence,

Cradled within my fragile hands,

Reflected in the sorrowful gaze of my eyes.

I clutch the enigma of illumination,

Found in her tender features,

And the vastness of her celestial skies.

I cherish the lessons of time,

Residing in our shared breaths,

Beating in unison within our hearts,

Echoing in sleepless thoughts.

It surrounds us,

It encompasses all —

Visible in the mirror's reflection.

It arrives unexpectedly,

Lingering even when we wish it away,

Remaining even in our cold detachment,

Revealing clarity that uncovers the veil

And whispers, “I do.”

In the chill of profound solitude,

It manifests as the warmth of a fire,

As sustenance found in a book

During hours of mental starvation,

Echoed by the wolves' cries

In the shadowy woods of despair.

Here I stand, trembling —

Clutching my words, inscribed

With the mystery of illumination.

Desperately, I reach for the 'It,'

Yearning for it in the emptiness of my hours.

I perceive it in the infinite depths of her gaze,

In the cosmic symphony,

And the truth unveiled by dawn.

It exists between us,

Present in every kiss,

Burning without a source,

Warming without the heat of flames,

In the gentle contact,

The music within silence,

Words devoid of language,

Residing in the moment of clarity.

As night confronts day,

The hunter's longing and the fateful strike,

The birth of the platypus,

A mother feeding her child

Under the moon's embrace.

It dwells in the touch,

In the continuum of life and death,

In our thoughts,

Where I cradle the mysteries of existence,

Wrapped in trepidation within my heart.

In the solace of my bed,

Her shadows, one real, now dreams,

In the depths of my suffering,

The moment of my unraveling

Is the greatest beauty of life,

And its purest tragedy,

Yet our only wealth,

And the path that leads to the illumination

Of becoming.

© Bradley J Nordell 2020

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