That it will be painful if (in the words of Vikram Seth), “Everything is great in bed But nothing is shared in the head.”

That clarity in what is without only Comes when there is clarity within. And loving is also a learned style Of acting as much as it is a feeling.

That the process of living is a way Of fashioning stories, which may not necessarily always be based on Verifiable facts, i.e., anti-metaphors.

That a life of meaning is possible For one who learns how to be alone Away from the rush of this world in which escaping trumps becoming.

Are these still, in some way, your philosophies? I rather hope they are, because you have managed to state, quite succinctly, two of mine (three if you count the Seth quote).

The first being that love is an action ("to love" is a verb), and the second that life can be experienced and lived as a great story.

May I claim this poem as a brilliant meeting of the minds?

N