Intimate, Unhinged, Beautiful & Warm

23 years have passed, and yet, I've never spoken to you directly
Never once have I vocalized my fears, wishes, beliefs
Intimate and unhinged
Not a single muttering without the constraints of words in a language I barely understand
Syllables combined and transcribed long before my mind can even fathom human existence 

23 years have passed and I've never spoken with you directly
Yet I've seen and felt you in far more than 23 moments, 23 cities, 23 people 
Beautiful and warm
It's in both the most expected, and unexpected, of places and times that you wait to be found… 

Melodious calls to prayer for those who believe in a different version of you
Ebbs and flows which slow my heart rate and mediate hurried breathes
Houses of worship where I find myself looking for the rush of tenderness
For the divinity which nearly engulfs me in a hug
Smiles which seem to extend for millennia
Sunsets which are just a bit too surreal
Mountains which shrink me down in their glory
And strangers, strangers who become the best of friends in the blink of an eye

Everyone seems to want to know whether we share the same allegiances
Like my fealty will somehow shut out the allure of the unknown
Like wearing David around my neck instead of Ali will melt our relationship to nothingness
Or rather burn it to the ground

But they are mistaken

You see, after 23 years of finding and feeling you in the unexpected
The paradoxical
The “never meant to be”
I am finally speaking with you directly
To thank you for teaching me about unconditional love
Intimate, unhinged, beautiful, and warm 

-eb