On Destiny’s Thread Poem by Alan Strand

Ten years ago and more
Our paths crossed on that thin thread of sea wall,
You riding, me running,
Both hearts pounding in unison.
Our eyes met, my heart skipped a beat,
Could it be You?

We smiled warmly at each other
Savoring the brief passage of this intense but fleeting look.
I’ve had dreams of this fortuitous encounter before!

Passing all too quickly and looking back
We caught each other’s stolen backwards glances
As if to see if it was indeed Fate’s fancy hand
That gently guided us along
To that exact time and place,
And to catch the hope and dream’s
In each other’s eyes-
Two soul mates collide!

I smiled with my whole body
And bore down with renewed energy
Welling up deep from within.
I am sure that we both sweated
With a super excited anticipation,
Feeling that perhaps Love has found us!

“I thought I’d never catch up to you! ”
I said slowing to walk
With you and your bike in front of the bath house
On that golden afternoon.
What a budding beauty you were to behold
English Bay would never look the same-
It’s just so plain!

I had to cast my eyes from yours
To these dancing waters
On a tongue of sand
Or a sea of tears would have flowed,
So deeply did I long for love and hurt.

The bay suddenly seem to calm
To a state of strange tranquility,
Its timeless eroding had ceased
In order to hush us together
So we could hear one another’s breath
Over our small (but ever so longing) talk.;
Our fantastic union was being honored
By the silent display of eons worth of sands-
Primitive and primordial miniature jewels,
Laid out solely for our passing pleasure.
Even the trees drooped
As if to listen to our glorious banter
In the afternoon’s balmy haze.
Oh, what a lucky day it was
In this most beautiful world!

We both glowed expectantly,
Bursting with the great fortune
Of yet a second chance meeting.
Little did we know that we were but two pawns
In some romantic God’s twisted game-
Check mate.

We have lived and loved deeply,
Traveling to foreign places
Wishing we could give the world to each other
As a small token of our love,
But we both played a flawed and foolish game
Because we wrapped our past pains so closely
Around the depths of our hearts
Hoping that one day the eternal sun would just
Break through
And melt it all away.

We are only two imperfect lonely grains of sand
Lying in wait for life’s tears
To slowly move us
In this vast universe
And polish us to star dust.

Life’s trials!

There is no escaping
From the stark and inevitable reality
That festering pain and uncertainty
Only keeps two bright hearts
Cloistered in a lonely shadow of darkness.
We will all ultimately be consumed
With or without
The relishing of true love,
So we must dare the biggest chance!

I have failed you so far.
I ran like a coward,
Almost entirely away
From the one that I am destined to love the most.
I am here for you now and always will be!
I hope it’s not too late.

My love, I must tell you
I am running now for the last time in my life,
Only this time it is towards you,
On a single strand
Over a scarey abyss
With all the honesty and strength that I can muster
In order to surrender all of my love to you.
I am both frightened and consoled
By the prospect of your deepest love.
Eternity shall be my silent witness
Of my commitment to you.
Our combined Love will conquer all!
I realize only now after all these raw and stubborn years
That I have tortured our hearts with unfulfilled and selfish love.
It is too cruel and hollow for soul mates to bear.

I want you to know that you are the love of my life
And that I will never run from you again, only with you.

I want us to be together forever,
Whipping our demons as we go
But I need all your forgiveness and love you can give.
I too am scared!
But I will hold you in my strong arms
When you need me to
And I will nestle myself in the warmth and strength of yours.
These same arms will comfort and protect
The unborn child
Within ourselves.
Then we can deliver
Our into our loving and stable home
A baby!

Together we will forge
The greatest and enduring love there can be
Walking hand in hand towards Eternity
And discover what good or bad fortune lies waiting to test us
On Destiny’s thread-
Our sea wall of life and love.

(For Carla,1998/10/23.)