Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream? 

   ~Edgar Allan Poe

One of My favorite of Poe's writings.  There are so many of his that I go back to over and over.. I love the style of his writing. 

 I've often felt the turmoil of a dream within a dream as Poe explains here.  He's detached from reality.. a dream within a dream.   The first stanza is calm as he's kissing his love goodbye.  The second becomes more desperate as he tries to grasp the sand, keeping even one within his hand.    It's a poem of time... time comes it moves, even when we try to hold on... as does Death.  Death of love, death of life, death of dreams... it cannot be stopped.  

   Even though there is desperation in his poetry I think it proves there is hope...  always hope.   Yes time comes, death comes, things end but there is always the human will to hold on, to struggle against it.  To dream within a dream.

As Kafka so expertly put it:
"What I desire, and what I expect, are horrible opposites. But my desires still exist, which makes me a fool"

Poe realizes it's better to be the fool and to dream, to desire, than to give in to the pitiless wave of time and live in despair.  This too, is how I choose to live.  Yes, life happens but I will ride it with all the hope, love, and joy that one person can possess.

For Me, life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting 'HOLY SHIT... What a Ride.'

So take this ride with Me, travel the journey with Me even in a small part... don't look back and regret not making the most of every minute given.