phone tag.....

we've been playin' phone tag.
this time when he called, i was
right there and grabbed the phone.

he's the old uncle of bob's who never
really knew love before...

his social skills are um....different.
and he launches straight into a story
and then without asking if i have time
or anything...dives right into act two
of romeo and juliet.

bam.

i was in the middle of something...but
i know an opportunity when i see one.

phone in hand, i grab my stool, and i
sit right outside my studio door to get
some air and feel the day and to listen
to shakespeare. or is it ed?

with my eyes closed, and my head tilted up
i am listening to this man recite shakespeare's
words with such incredible feeling.

turns out he's got MOST of it MEMORIZED.

this man who's never known love is saying
these words with such gentleness, such emotion,
such love....

i am stunned.
the breeze is blowin' my hair as i'm listening,
the sun shining down and feelin' so good...

i'm thinking about love and its feelings as ed
reads these beautiful words to me.

when he's all done i tell him i have two thoughts
one practical one not.
i start with the practical one first.
i thought he said he was gonna actually recite this
for some event.
no, i was mistaken.
he just really is enjoyin' memorizing it. he's gonna
recite if for someone who works at the VA hospital
he goes to. how cool is that?!

the other thought...is about his heart.

do you see your heart? i ask him.
i marveled out loud about someone being alone his whole
life and still being able to touch all the emotions
he touched as he read. he read with such feeling.
i didn't want to rush over that thought.
i figured it mattered.
i wanted him to know i saw what was inside of him.
he joked about what bob would say if he saw this part
of him and he joked about how he only shared who he
was with me.

he joked about that.

can you imagine how much that must hurt?
to only share yourself with one person...and that person
didn't happen along til you were in your late seventies
and how that person isn't around much???

i stopped him.
it seemed like we should touch that.

told him how lucky i felt.
told him what i saw.
told him that it mattered.
and told him that maybe it'd be cool for him to share
it with other people too.
like his reading it at the VA....that that was cool he
was doin' that.

i always feel moved after talking to him....
we all need to be loved.
we so need it.
we all need to be seen.......

to live your life without that..........
my gosh.......
and yet......it's all inside you still....always....

and it will pour out in the most amazing ways.......
if you let it.