They said that she could have been a Prima Ballerina,
But instead she chose to dance along a beam with her arms extended gracefully
And swing unparalleled to the rhythm created in her mind...
She was but a child then,
With aspirations of triumphs and trophies
Filling her waking hours,
Dreams of Mt. Olympus
And medals of gold, silver, and bronze.
She had become disciplined to the tasks at hand,
Following commands without question.
School to gym to bed...school to gym to bed...
Day after day...year after year.
Perfecting her art...
But...neglecting her heart...
Her small muscular body began to undergo metamorphosis,
Her hard lines became soft curves.
Her desires and goals carried her to the place of commitment
Where the arms that embraced her were nice arms...
And being untrained in matters of the heart,
She told herself, "This must be love!"
The love circled her but didn't appear to be within her grasp.
No matter where she reached she came up empty handed.
She found herself hungry...though her plate was surely full.
So the young woman began to follow rainbows
Slowly at first,
Tentatively...carefully...cautiously looking for its end
Hoping it might fill the loneliness.
Perhaps she was not fast enough...
So she proceeded to chase the rainbows that moved across her sky
Seeking desperately for an answer.
One afternoon, with little regard for the road signs
That moved past her view unnoticed,
She followed a rainbow into a clearing.
As she gazed at the illuminated rainbows end,
She marveled at its beauty as tears filled her eyes.
For it became painfully clear…
That beyond the beautiful lights that filled the meadow
Was neither a pot of gold,
Nor the answers she had sought,
There was just nothing.
She was filled with despair
So she started her car and with uncontrollable tears
Sadly went home vowing not to chase rainbows again.
And she did not mention to the nice arms her terrible disappointment...
As one season moved into another and a dozen seasons passed,
She became resigned, and being untrained in matters of the heart...
She said to herself "this must be life!"
Then one December day she spied a rainbow
Like none she had ever seen before.
It was so very beautiful it made her head spine and her stomach flip,
And her smile moved from her lips to her heart...
Though she promised herself not to,
She looked down and found she was moving toward it at such a pace...
Her feet felt as if they were not touching the ground at all.
She ran faster and faster...
As if her life depended on reaching its conclusion.
Frightened at what she might find
But sure as she had ever been,
That reaching it might finally bring her the peace
That eluded her all the years of her commitment.
There it was...
The rainbows end...
In the illuminated clearing was the figure of a man.
She was compelled to move toward him.
Feeling a warmth coming from him
Not unlike a fireplace blazing on a winters evening.
Calmness overtook her
And she found herself in his arms.
She felt safe...she felt sure...
And as she looked deep into his eyes,
She found all the colors of the rainbow staring back at her.
She told herself, "at last I have found love!"
And as the love circled her
She realized that no matter where she reached;
It was within her grasp.
Was he real?
Where had he come from?
In what dream did she conjure up his image?
He possessed a gentle smile
And she found herself revealing all her life to him willingly.
His large warm hands embracing her face
As she detailed the over loved sock monkey of her childhood,
And the delicate surgery necessary to repair him.
She knew deep in her soul that he could be trusted.
So as the words passed his lips she listened and believed.
As he stared at her very being
He said...
"My love for you will span time,
And there shall be no boundaries
No matter what your situation, when the sun finally rises
I will be there...
And as our days turn to years
I will soften your wrinkles with my fingertips
Read love sonnets when your eyes are too weak to see the page
And on your final day
I will rock you gently in my arms
Until the angels come to take you away from me
And I will cry bitter sweet tears
For each precious second I was allowed to be with you
And listen to you, and love you...
You see my darling I too was a rainbow chaser until today..."
Then the handsome stranger kissed her tenderly...
And as they walked away hand in hand,
It is said that the rainbow followed them until they were gone from sight!
The End
