Ode to Love

(Rough Copy)

As I walk by the ocean's shore 
I can't help but feel nostalgia
A bittersweet feeling for what was and what is
And what has been revealed to me

It is not a nostalgia which consumes joy
But a tribute to the person I was 
A quiet toast to the soul within

As the fresh salty waters caress my feet
My spirit feels reenergized
A long journey I have walked
Through it all, tears mixed with laughter
Getting here was a considerable feat

At this moment, there is freedom roaring through me
Free from the violent blows that left their mark
Free from horrible memories that like acid erode the mind

This sweet elixir which has come to meet me
Is a cooling fire that breathes me to life
I found it when I least expected it
Revealing the confusion of my own dreams

Long ago, when my body and spirit felt bound for eternity
Like a ghost I walked past the multitudes
No one to hear my silent cries and screams
Like the bravest hero love rose, revealing itself to me
Igniting my fires...
Setting me free!

Love, heard my cries
I heard its enchanting song
"I am tired dear spirit. 
Hard my path has been"
Love wrapped its arms around me
Gently whispering...
"Open your eyes my darling, 
There is much for you to see"

The path to reclaiming myself hasn't been easy
In my odyssey I've discovered many things
I saw humanity and the world
Because of love, once more I found hope

Years passed and things changed
Despite growth my heart succumbed to what ifs
Love, I sought you in everything
Beyond what is permitted and the mundane
Yet your essence evaded me

At times I thought I found you at your best
I heard your call yet remained blind to its source
Like a child, I walked towards an empty nest
Eager to expose the most sacred parts of my being
Only for the sad reality to be revealed
You were not to be found in that place

How deep was the blow when the door was closed
When you weren't there, only a heavy lock
My heart weeping...
My soul yearning...
My mind burning

This gypsy spirit would not let me give up
Walk away from meeting love? never
It was love that saved my life
If I couldn't find it 
I would become it
And so, I did!

Unbound phoenix I am
A gypsy spirit whose heart aches 
My song once more love has heard
Out of nowhere it reemerged

All confusion dissipates  
It was you all along
In dreams love prepared me for this moment
When the magickal dances with the flesh
Creating music only soul mates can hear

Out of nowhere, shadow took shape
Love once more became flesh
Reminding me to seize these short moments
Yet this delirium feels like a beautiful eternity

When the time comes for you to become ethereal
I shall hold on despite your absence
Among the chaos that it is living
You will remain the constant
Until the time you and I once more meet

Heart against heart
Flesh against flesh
Wild 
Sacred 
Free
 
Love which remains floating in and out of time
Complex, innocent and beautiful 
Like the wings of a butterfly

Sofia E. Falcone