The Embrace Poem by George Aul

I held a memory in my arms
one night, not long ago,
how strong was she,
how weak was I,
the rush of past love
ran through my veins,
the flood of pain
ran through my heart;
this feeling, a wonderful feeling,
I held tightly with closed eyes.
Suddenly, I wasn't me,
I was him.
Yes, I was him!
A young man, no a boy,
not knowing how to love,
faking my way through it all,
seeing her face with closed eyes,
feeling the years with closed arms,
I didn't want to let go now,
I never wanted to let go then,
the embrace of a thousand lifetimes,
the tears of a million years,
I had to let go,
I had to unlock my grip,
I needed to open my eyes;
once again, she was gone,
but the person was still there,
she was standing in front of me.
A memory locked away
suddenly spewed forth by another;
A clone? A reincarnation?
Not possible, not likely.
Another who touched deep inside me,
a heart connecting to a soul,
a life giving life back
to a weary traveler in time,
an embrace, a simple human act
gave motion to a body at rest;
that feeling, never ever duplicated
finally awakened from its prison,
the embrace of old in totally new,
the heart of one touching
the broken soul of another,
connected in that one long embrace.