this was exquisite. and yes, we all do, as we all learn to cross the bridge from instincts to intuition, surviving to thriving.

No, I'm afraid we don't. Most of us long for that other half to make us whole and therefore tie that knot way too early when we are feral and most of our children are born. But we have not grown up yet and cannot fend for ourselves. We need the other… It's called "codependence," and it is rampant upon the land.

But there is a cure that you suggest in your poem. Each one of us, if we only wait and don't become codependent, but rather, truly independent and love it, without the need of parents or any other source for our well-being and good health, becomes the time to find and seal a relationship. Unfortunately, not too many do it, and sometimes, have to do it more than once, to realize that only when we are fully on our own and love ourselves can we truly love another without some obligation that turns out backfiring on us over time.

Ron

Profound painting, but vastly more profound writing that reaches inside pandora’s box of mixed cursed and gracious givings. Excellent “To know our storms, are not necessary?” (this one allows us to wonder if they really might be)…”Requires a positive that never pauses” — I would like to put that nutrient into my mental diet every minute…”Temptations of the drama” what a keen look at that one, which opens the opportunity to ‘resist’ that temptation. And to close with “Merely….An expression of love?” (last line typing error first word). This poem, to me, ends with an embrace. Thanks! — djl