Of Poetry and Dates
I love literature. I love crafting words into written images, and reading how wordsmiths better than me create such vivid scenes using only printed words that you can feel like you are there. Characters are crafted, locales described, weather explained, even the smallest of details you can glean from their words and your imagination.
Poetry is particularly rich for that. I think it is in part because poetry often uses just little snippets, phrases, ideas that are magically woven into something so complex you can dissect it forever and still come to a different interpretation every time. And while I am an above-average writer (or so my friends who read this blog say), poetry is not a form that I think I've ever used to express myself.
Maybe I'm not enough of a hopeless romantic, or maybe my experiences have left me so scarred and jaded I'm too cynical to write poetry. It takes a romantic heart to capture and put into words the essence and feelings behind the beauty of nature, the ferocity of thunderstorms, or the wildly irrational feelings of love and loss.
Bachelor #4 has a very creative spirit. He writes, both fiction and poetry, and his undergraduate work was all in music -- composition to be exact. Although he is now primarily an IT guy, being a business analyst, he still has the heart of the unrequited creator. When he is touched emotionally, it comes through in his music and poetry, particularly poetry.
That is how yesterday started. Saturday morning, the morning of our much-anticipated date. I had to be up earlier than usual for a gig (yes, on Saturday morning). While eating breakfast with a couple friends that were doing the same gig, the topic turned to my dating life about the same time I got a text from Bachelor #4. I had my phone on the table so I pulled it up and saw I'd been sent "War and Peace," the text version. The friends I was with saw that and we all shared a little laugh. Then I started reading the text and about 3 sentences in put it away saying I would read it later.
It was a poem. A poem he had written about us meeting later that day and his emotions about it based upon our connection. It was sweet. It was very romantic. It bared his soul in a very unique way. It was not something I was going to read in front of a couple of my guy friends.
Flowers in a text message, now poetry. Who was this guy? How did I find him? Or, more accurately, how did he find me?
Fast forward a few hours, as we're both getting ready for the witching hour, the agreed-upon time to meet. He texts to let me know he's planning on jeans, parka (because in spite of being May it's been chilly), and flip flops, or did I want to dress up? I replied that I was wearing a dress that could be either dressy or casual. I also told him I have a *twitch* thing about mandals, rooted in an ex. But even before I sent the text about the mandals, he'd made a decision: let's dress up. A few minutes after that, we both confessed we were ridiculously nervous.
We met up, and as soon as I laid eyes on him I felt a sense of relief. Not only did he look like his pictures, he was actually more attractive. And no, it wasn't the suit, even though I admit I like guys in suits. We headed off to the plaza, no specific plan in mind. We started chatting and gradually began to relax.
Once on the plaza we began to contemplate where to have dinner. It was only about 4:30, but neither of us had eaten any lunch, so we were ready. As we were wandering, he spots a very nice steak house. Do I like steak? Is the pope Catholic? So we went there. They didn't start serving until 5:00, but we were welcome to sit in the bar and have a happy hour drink. We each ordered a glass of wine, and then the ice cracked. In a big way.
Our stuffily cute ambiguously gay waiter asked us, as he was delivering our drinks, what the occasion was. D (Bachelor #4) answered, spinning this long, hilarious tale about how we'd met on a cruise ship 10 years ago but had lost touch, and then I recently found him on Facebook and we'd reconnected and were having dinner to catch up. I jumped right in with this yarn that was being spun, which the waiter was buying hook, line, and sinker. I wove in just enough truth to make the story even more fantastic. As the waiter left, D and I shared a good laugh over that.
The rest of dinner was equally enjoyable, but when you're at a 4 or 5 star restaurant, it's kind of hard for it not to be. Well, I guess it can be if you're miserable with the company, but that was certainly not the case. We ate leisurely, had a second glass of wine, then decided to walk around the Plaza and people-watch. We took a spin around, walked into a couple of shops, and decided it was a bit too crowded. He suggested we go to a local park and walk and talk there.
It was a lovely evening as we walked down the paved trail, passing a couple other couples out doing the same thing. After going a while, we turned around and returned to a bench where we sat and chatted and watched the sun set, comfortably snuggled together.
Oh, yeah. This was like something out of a Disney movie. I kid you not.
The sun set, and it was getting chilly. But, neither of us were ready for the date to be over. His suggestion? Go back to his place.
Now before you start rolling your eyes or imagining this Disney movie turning into a "Rule 34" kind of thing, it wasn't about that at all. He was a music major in undergrad, and wanted to hear me play the piano as well as playing some of his compositions for me. So we headed to his house and that's exactly what we did, with one more notably funny moment.
Right now his son and son's girlfriend are living with him. Both are between their freshman and sophomore years of college and are trying to save up enough money to get their own place this fall. "Dad" has said they could live there for the summer, but if it becomes longer than that, they'll have to start paying rent. Well, "Dad" wasn't expecting "the kids" to be home, but hey, even the best-laid plans go awry. In we walk, and they are up in the living room playing Skyrim.
Dad: Hey there guys! I didn't think you'd be home.
Kids: (awkward stammering...)
Son: So is this the date?
Me: Nah. I'm just some random woman he picked up.
Everyone: laughter.
D is giving me the brief tour of his home, and then the kids announced that they were going to go somewhere else to "hang out for a while." They almost couldn't get out of there fast enough. D and I shared a good laugh over that, and then set about doing what we'd said: making music. It was comfortable, enjoyable, relaxing. As the clock marched on, the realization came upon us that I needed to go home. The evening ended as it should, and I reluctantly climbed into my car and went home. Where we continued to text for another hour plus, of course.
Mr. Poetic was inspired, and apparently up a lot of the night writing more poetry. Which he then sent me at a little before 5:00 this morning. The first poem is beautiful. I told him it was like something that Debussy would either set in song, or use to inspire a piano work. The second poem is also lovely, but as I told him, the first poem is something that I would share with my close friends as an example of his work. The second is much more intimate and personal. That one I'll be keeping to myself.
Yes, we have another date set up. This one will be super casual - pizza, beer, DVD. He's a big fan of Robin Williams but has never seen his "Live on Broadway 2003." I own it on a bootleg DVD. So Monday - tomorrow - when I get off work we'll be meeting at a local pizzeria and eventually heading back to his place again.
Where we may or may not do our best to make "the kids" feel exceptionally awkward. Mwahahahaha!
And one important follow-up. We had a pretty serious exchange last night. He confessed he was "liking me too much" and afraid it would cause him to put on rose-colored glasses when it came to problems. It's something that eventually caused a marriage to end for him, so I can understand his sensitivities. I told him that I'd certainly been there and understood, and that we'd work together to make sure we were on the right pace and keeping the communication open. Admittedly, and I didn't say this, that right pace is hard because I'm feeling the same way. Fortunately my kooky schedule this week will help.
Meanwhile, to keep the drama going, I got a text from Bachelor #2 this morning. In its entirety, it said, "Muah."
Um, what? Seriously, WTF?
Two hours later I replied, "Good morning to you, too." Both D and I have agreed that what is going on between us is something we want to explore and we're not looking or considering other people right now. We're not in a relationship, we're not exclusive, but neither of us is comfortable with dating multiple people at the same time. So I might have to send a, "it's great to hear from you, but I've started seeing someone" text. We shall see.
Poetry is particularly rich for that. I think it is in part because poetry often uses just little snippets, phrases, ideas that are magically woven into something so complex you can dissect it forever and still come to a different interpretation every time. And while I am an above-average writer (or so my friends who read this blog say), poetry is not a form that I think I've ever used to express myself.
Maybe I'm not enough of a hopeless romantic, or maybe my experiences have left me so scarred and jaded I'm too cynical to write poetry. It takes a romantic heart to capture and put into words the essence and feelings behind the beauty of nature, the ferocity of thunderstorms, or the wildly irrational feelings of love and loss.
Bachelor #4 has a very creative spirit. He writes, both fiction and poetry, and his undergraduate work was all in music -- composition to be exact. Although he is now primarily an IT guy, being a business analyst, he still has the heart of the unrequited creator. When he is touched emotionally, it comes through in his music and poetry, particularly poetry.
That is how yesterday started. Saturday morning, the morning of our much-anticipated date. I had to be up earlier than usual for a gig (yes, on Saturday morning). While eating breakfast with a couple friends that were doing the same gig, the topic turned to my dating life about the same time I got a text from Bachelor #4. I had my phone on the table so I pulled it up and saw I'd been sent "War and Peace," the text version. The friends I was with saw that and we all shared a little laugh. Then I started reading the text and about 3 sentences in put it away saying I would read it later.
It was a poem. A poem he had written about us meeting later that day and his emotions about it based upon our connection. It was sweet. It was very romantic. It bared his soul in a very unique way. It was not something I was going to read in front of a couple of my guy friends.
Flowers in a text message, now poetry. Who was this guy? How did I find him? Or, more accurately, how did he find me?
Fast forward a few hours, as we're both getting ready for the witching hour, the agreed-upon time to meet. He texts to let me know he's planning on jeans, parka (because in spite of being May it's been chilly), and flip flops, or did I want to dress up? I replied that I was wearing a dress that could be either dressy or casual. I also told him I have a *twitch* thing about mandals, rooted in an ex. But even before I sent the text about the mandals, he'd made a decision: let's dress up. A few minutes after that, we both confessed we were ridiculously nervous.
We met up, and as soon as I laid eyes on him I felt a sense of relief. Not only did he look like his pictures, he was actually more attractive. And no, it wasn't the suit, even though I admit I like guys in suits. We headed off to the plaza, no specific plan in mind. We started chatting and gradually began to relax.
Once on the plaza we began to contemplate where to have dinner. It was only about 4:30, but neither of us had eaten any lunch, so we were ready. As we were wandering, he spots a very nice steak house. Do I like steak? Is the pope Catholic? So we went there. They didn't start serving until 5:00, but we were welcome to sit in the bar and have a happy hour drink. We each ordered a glass of wine, and then the ice cracked. In a big way.
Our stuffily cute ambiguously gay waiter asked us, as he was delivering our drinks, what the occasion was. D (Bachelor #4) answered, spinning this long, hilarious tale about how we'd met on a cruise ship 10 years ago but had lost touch, and then I recently found him on Facebook and we'd reconnected and were having dinner to catch up. I jumped right in with this yarn that was being spun, which the waiter was buying hook, line, and sinker. I wove in just enough truth to make the story even more fantastic. As the waiter left, D and I shared a good laugh over that.
The rest of dinner was equally enjoyable, but when you're at a 4 or 5 star restaurant, it's kind of hard for it not to be. Well, I guess it can be if you're miserable with the company, but that was certainly not the case. We ate leisurely, had a second glass of wine, then decided to walk around the Plaza and people-watch. We took a spin around, walked into a couple of shops, and decided it was a bit too crowded. He suggested we go to a local park and walk and talk there.
It was a lovely evening as we walked down the paved trail, passing a couple other couples out doing the same thing. After going a while, we turned around and returned to a bench where we sat and chatted and watched the sun set, comfortably snuggled together.
Oh, yeah. This was like something out of a Disney movie. I kid you not.
The sun set, and it was getting chilly. But, neither of us were ready for the date to be over. His suggestion? Go back to his place.
Now before you start rolling your eyes or imagining this Disney movie turning into a "Rule 34" kind of thing, it wasn't about that at all. He was a music major in undergrad, and wanted to hear me play the piano as well as playing some of his compositions for me. So we headed to his house and that's exactly what we did, with one more notably funny moment.
Right now his son and son's girlfriend are living with him. Both are between their freshman and sophomore years of college and are trying to save up enough money to get their own place this fall. "Dad" has said they could live there for the summer, but if it becomes longer than that, they'll have to start paying rent. Well, "Dad" wasn't expecting "the kids" to be home, but hey, even the best-laid plans go awry. In we walk, and they are up in the living room playing Skyrim.
Dad: Hey there guys! I didn't think you'd be home.
Kids: (awkward stammering...)
Son: So is this the date?
Me: Nah. I'm just some random woman he picked up.
Everyone: laughter.
D is giving me the brief tour of his home, and then the kids announced that they were going to go somewhere else to "hang out for a while." They almost couldn't get out of there fast enough. D and I shared a good laugh over that, and then set about doing what we'd said: making music. It was comfortable, enjoyable, relaxing. As the clock marched on, the realization came upon us that I needed to go home. The evening ended as it should, and I reluctantly climbed into my car and went home. Where we continued to text for another hour plus, of course.
Mr. Poetic was inspired, and apparently up a lot of the night writing more poetry. Which he then sent me at a little before 5:00 this morning. The first poem is beautiful. I told him it was like something that Debussy would either set in song, or use to inspire a piano work. The second poem is also lovely, but as I told him, the first poem is something that I would share with my close friends as an example of his work. The second is much more intimate and personal. That one I'll be keeping to myself.
Yes, we have another date set up. This one will be super casual - pizza, beer, DVD. He's a big fan of Robin Williams but has never seen his "Live on Broadway 2003." I own it on a bootleg DVD. So Monday - tomorrow - when I get off work we'll be meeting at a local pizzeria and eventually heading back to his place again.
Where we may or may not do our best to make "the kids" feel exceptionally awkward. Mwahahahaha!
And one important follow-up. We had a pretty serious exchange last night. He confessed he was "liking me too much" and afraid it would cause him to put on rose-colored glasses when it came to problems. It's something that eventually caused a marriage to end for him, so I can understand his sensitivities. I told him that I'd certainly been there and understood, and that we'd work together to make sure we were on the right pace and keeping the communication open. Admittedly, and I didn't say this, that right pace is hard because I'm feeling the same way. Fortunately my kooky schedule this week will help.
Meanwhile, to keep the drama going, I got a text from Bachelor #2 this morning. In its entirety, it said, "Muah."
Um, what? Seriously, WTF?
Two hours later I replied, "Good morning to you, too." Both D and I have agreed that what is going on between us is something we want to explore and we're not looking or considering other people right now. We're not in a relationship, we're not exclusive, but neither of us is comfortable with dating multiple people at the same time. So I might have to send a, "it's great to hear from you, but I've started seeing someone" text. We shall see.
Wow really superb thing absolutely wonderful things for me.
ReplyDeleteIndia dating