I open my eyes
and look across the room
my eyes adjusting to the darkness

I can see the outline of my books
illuminated by the moonlight
shining through my half closed blinds

The books remind me
of all the stories I've read
particularly the ones about love

And how close I had come
to experiencing a love I thought
only existed in those stories

While it's true that
real love is out there
It's also true that
heart break is there

Some loves while real
are not meant to last

But they still leave an ache or hole
that may never be soothed or healed

What I had known had been perfect
a love that knows no bounds

But for some reason
that flower of love simply wilted
the spark of passion seemed to have extinguished

I've felt a longing to find
that kind of love again
one that will last this time

But it seems impossible
Are our hearts capable of such intense love
more than once?
And can they survive the emotional strain
of it all?

The only way to answer those questions,
I realize, is to plunge headfirst
into the abyss of what we call love
I close my eyes and let sleep come, thinking that
all we can do is hope that love finds us
And that when it does
we will recognize it for what it truly is