The Immortality of Ephemeral Love

"In the fleeting moments of the twilight the final glance of innocence occurs as their eyes gaze upon each other for the last time in this life cycle. Hands firmly grasping the nothingness that lies between their sweaty palms, fingers interlocked- knuckles clenched as if her life depended on that last grip, the warmth of body heat pulses from one soul to the other as they kiss their closing goodbyes" Nostalgic scenes of fun, laughter, tears, adventures, pillow fights on stormy mornings pulsate though the back of her eyes in one fleeting flash before the stark coldness sets in…Perhaps providing the only consolation during this bleak moment in time. The inevitability of death had struck her such a horrible blow on that silent night, stealing away her vibrant colors removing every last ounce of lust and enthusiasm she possessed for existence in this realm. Her pink, rosy cheeks once symbolizing the pinnacle of life now took on the appearance of a morbid grimace-----faded hopes prayed for the miracle that will only come too late.---- teardrops graced his eyes and as if in slow motion leaked away from his confused gaze, cascading on her now lifeless face—rolling off, un-moved in the same solemn, stoic fashion as the wet wax pours from old candles--- a mere reflection of contrast from life to death, her once hearty smile now sits still as a hapless frown ………………….…

I could go on to paint a picture but surely the nightmare can be easily revealed in the first few lines--- My Biggest fear of love—the loss of it – this takes me back to a random evening walk in a quaint little town in upstate New York.. I stumbled upon an abandoned cemetery –one in which the cold head stones didn't tell a story—no pictures were painted, in fact the head stones were all cracked for it was an abandoned cemetery—this indeed is a true story—I felt a shiver up my spine but decided to explore as much as the fading evening light will allow—Most of the head stones had these crude letters inscribed "H.L.T.R" it took me a while to figure out that they meant "Here Lies The Remains of" I said to myself amazing – I just happen to stumble on an abandoned cemetery in the middle of a no-name town at dusk—the cemetery was over a hundred years old and I sincerely doubt that anyone could tell me a story of the people who lied beneath the ground that I casually strolled upon.. It got me thinking—who knows of the secret fantastic love stories that each grave kept within its confines… It was obvious that the tombstones that laid close to each other were perhaps that of lovers or family—Husband and wife—maybe even soul mates—assuming something like that exists—How tragic is it that you search half your life trying to find this counterpart---- almost trying to find a needle in a Haystack – and Gosh I can testify that it is difficult for this counterpart is someone that I am and have been avidly seeking for quite sometime now—you place all these beacons out and for the most part they bleep and bleep until finally their bulbs give out or fade just like the hopes of the once young energetic child being bogged down by the challenges of growing up and adulthood..

I guess since life is not without it's irony you end up spending a good section of your life in the quest for that one—the one that not only tolerates you for who/how/where/ you are but finds a certain charm with your unique idiosyncrasies and cherishes the good, bad and mediocre aspects about you—you finally find her and then all of the sudden the clocks become your worst enemy-- for time with her becomes ever so limiting---- so fleeting ---so ephemeral!!! The quest for true love is not for the ordinary – it was mainly meant for the determined—after all it's so easy to settle—so easy to take the well traveled road—who looks for the un-beaten path anymore—why walk when you can drive—we are a generation of convenience and are certainly proponents of the ATM culture—you get everything in 10 seconds or less- fast cash, fast food and fast relationships.. Naturally the people who search and look for their true partner in crime will be met with discord as this is seemingly unfashionable.. "Settle down and shut up!!!" -- "You're too choosy" ---- I say!! Ha! surely you Jest!!!----you know what is the problem with visiting Niagara Falls nowadays??? Most people have seen the famous picture of what it looks like on a sunny day with the rainbow cascading at the perfect angle so that all the colors can be seen,, every last one. The mist from the water goes up a mile and this is embedded into our sub-conscious expectations ~thus, if we visit the magnificent wonder on a rainy day or the water levels are not at its peak all of the sudden we walk away with a sense of disappointment.. We have just seen a marvel of the world and leave with a face of disappointment… It happens—and so to in relationships—there seems to be all these expectations, and only the fortunate few will ever meet someone that there's an equality in compatibility –

I really wonder how many people actually know what absolute love is—personally I think that only a parent/ especially a woman holding her child for the first time will ever know what un-conditional love is.. and of course the unison of soul mates…The quest for your true love should be thus worth every effort in finding such-- and who knows?? maybe I might put out my last beacon and succumb to "expected reality" for when in Rome simply do like the Romans-- or maybe I can play the Devil's advocate and use the philosophical contention that "whatever happens was supposed to happen" -- That is always the ultimate stumbling block that immediately discontinues and halts any possible internal arguments-- How can one of sane and sound mind possibly argue such ??? They can't -- I can only hope that the person I end up with will be my partner in crime-- but it's worth the effort to seek such for you really only have one shot at the cracker barrel-- life will be what you make it and hence what you perceive it to be -- so if your perception of life is ideal then in your world as seen through your eyes, your mindset, your personal construct, will be ideal as it is tailored for you and only you-- and that's all that should really matter--- for no one sees the world through your eyes besides you... and that is and has to be absolutely true for a love romance and every little aspect about such-- nothing should stop your personal carnival, your enjoyment of life for that is a construct that is devised by you and only you.. your smile, frown and tears are all based on your perspective and perception of the illusion in which you reside in...

This brings me back to the title of this story "The Immortality of Ephemeral Love" Let's say that the tomb stones in the abandon cemetery could tell a story—and suppose there laid in that forgotten place, underneath the cold grey stone and unformidable 6 ft of compacted 200 yr old dirt -------- the most amazing love story ever told.. two lovers who found each other and created a story – a story so passionate that it outshone that of Paolo and Francesca da Rimini ( the two lovers that graced Dante's on his Journey to the Inferno) – what if such a story could be told—the fact is that the essence and intimates of that story will only live for as long as the authors exist—and in the greater scheme of things we are all ephemeral – thus, our love for each other will inevitable have a final full stop and a final resting place—the love stops when the movie ends—for we have no idea if the two remarkable people can still love each other beyond the grave—we can only hope and feel and wish - but as my dear Dad would quote "If wishes were horses~ Then beggars shall ride"

However, there's hope!!! for you can have an immortal love in an ephemeral world—you just make every moment count and you create a story that will be meaningful to you and your mate-- the private jokes, the volumes of sentances conveyed with the exchange of a glance, flicker of a smile and the twinkle of an eye-- why can't people simply enjoy these things and cheerish them while they last -- instead of living a lifelong of regret when they're gone – —if you shall ever be so lucky to recognize what true love is and experience it with someone who loves you back then you'll be a fool not to enjoy it out to it's fullest.. for many people walk like empty souls on a never ending quest to find what you might take for granted on a daily basis--

Some people have complained that my short stories are too long so I'll end with the words extracted from a famous philosophical poem entitled "True Growth" by Ben Johnson

"A Lilly of the day is fairer far in May,

Although it falls and dies that night it was the plant and flower of light

In small measures we just beauty see but in short life may perfect be"