Duty free

Just being myself. Figuring it all out as I go along. I suppose lots of other people are doing the same thing.
Recently I got in touch with one of my very best childhood friends; I think I’ll call her Spice Girl. We are now corresponding via email. In my third email to her I came out to her (she thought my marriage was shaky; given my belated admission to myself and the family of my gayness, actually this guy is my best friend and we’re doing fine). Anyway, she replied after two weeks (she felt that this particular email required more time than she was able to give as she had a biochemistry exam to prepare for … she was always brilliant). I thought OMG … here goes … when I saw the email in my inbox yesterday.
Her response to the above? One line: “Well, given the situation, I think you’re handling it the best way possible.”
And she gave lots more time and attention to other stuff I had written about.
I am so grateful that I live where I do and with the people I live with. I’m grateful to be in touch with this childhood friend. We are very different (always were), but there is a fine mutual respect. When I first googled her (sheesh) and sent my tester email (Are you Spice Girl from Kew Gardens?), she replied that she was and that she had thought of me in the past couple of weeks. Kind of nifty.
A whitter about a phone call I made yesterday. I expect to go off on a whole other tangent soon, about addiction vs. love and the effects of one person on another where there is love involved. This whitter was written in the afterglow of connecting with Folláin.

Hearing what I need to hear
my soul is stronger
as is my pulse
for the cadences
the rise and fall and rhythms of her voice
all the sounds
remembering the details of movement
and of place

The homestead of all my comfort
is in her careful hands
my own answers become simple and clear
for I am the lucky one
smiling in grounded certainty
even as the unknown flits among shadows
more is known by my entirety
than my previous years ever showed me

There is no map that led me there
unless it is charted in the stars
I never learned how to read
intended from some time before here
knowing now the truth and the power in this
I cannot seek it elsewhere or again
it is unique as the tempo and timbre
of one voice

Wow..nice. And it’s cool that she just left it at that. She didn’t make a huge deal out of you being “gay”. I have gay friends, and personally I think they’re the funnest people in the world.. =)Its cool that your 44 and still write poetry, if my mom ever tried to write poetry I’d probably wonder whats wrong with her.. haha Just kidding.. Nice entry though. ~Shanna~

Woman of many hats..

November 6, 2003

it is so nice to connect with people from the past and discover they have grown up and “wisened” too. smiling for you.

DragonKat

Thats so wonderful 🙂

I wonder about my gayness too. lol..it is still a secret.. so nice to re-connect hey? When I was in Bosnia, I met up with my first love, from Prince Edward Island..32 years later. Small world.

LiteBrite

That is so great that she responded positively!!! And of course your words are beautiful as usual! 🙂

Singing Nun

Wow, the sun is certainly shining over you! How wonderful that Spice Girl was able to accept you for the incredible person you are and not get hung up on gender relations. It’s great to reach out to our long lost friends. And it seems your connection with Follain produced another touching whitter. Good for you!

That is really neat about you and Spice Girl getting to write now. And of course wonderful that you get to hear your special gal’s voice and share such love : ) Thanks for the whitter about it. Hugs

This is heartwarming sweet poet *smiles* Your honesty will always win through, light up the darkness. Be in no doubt about that. The authentic people recognise those fine qualities in you. Warm hug

Starr418

it is strange cause a few weeks back I was thinking about a highschool bud Elise, and out of the blue she gets on the computer after almost a year of not being on, and same with my neighbor angie we were just talking about how she had lost contact with a friend of hers in canada.. an hour later her friend called.. strange stuff.

The Rickster

I am glad you have rediscovered an old friend. 🙂

Yes yes,anytime!and that kicks soo much that you know “My united states of whateva” Love it. haha LOVE YOU. te-he. But yeah.. Great song eh? ~Shanna~

*hugs*

flowernightmare

connecting with parts of the past like that can be very powerful. thank you for the note. i almost turned the stupid editor off when it first came up, but i figured i’d give it a shot and see how it turned out. now i know better! ive half a mind to send them an email, including the code that would prevent the problem from happening agagin — but i’m sure it would be ignored!

daisymayhem

~hugs to you!

noko

They say the soul is in the voice…

Armiel

Because of you (this entry), I googled an old junior high friend who had joined the Army after high school and found her name. I keep staring at her address; I dunno…should I contact her, do you think? 🙂

That is so wonderful that you two are becoming re-aquainted. ((BIG HAPPY HUGS))