THE NARCISSISTS

It is a strange relationship
filled with peril
driven by necessity
and defined by as many other cliches
as one can imagine
She loves as well as she can
given all that she has been through
He never has a clue about
what is going on

They are of like mind
for whatever that is worth
Each thinks that the other
sees just what they see and
feels just what they feel
and they feel connected
like the links of an unbroken chain

In reality
it is as if each is
orbiting a different star
far across the galaxy
communicating their truths
and tragedies
indirectly and subtly
never knowing or caring
whether the messages are received
or merely sent
The sending gives the
only knowable satisfaction
and that is enough

There is a sad sweetness
about being connected through disconnection
Agreeing, without making it explicit,
that message sent from afar
is more poignant, more valuable
even more sincere
if it is never received
To imagine the message
rather than experiencing it directly
seems somehow to
make it more treasured
Truth or fiction is an
irrelevant consideration
at these distances

And so they live their lives
intimate, but never touching
enjoying separate histories together
and believing they are close

Jim Morgan  August 18, 2009