my careless contagion

Of all the the poetry and prose I wrote on these pages, I largely neglected to write about the love that blossomed in my heart for the woman I would eventually marry. I'm sorry. Maybe it wasn't for public consumption. You could say I learned my lesson. You could say a lot of things. The truth of the matter is I just didn't have time. I was too busy falling in love and spending time with or talking to the one I love. It took up too much space in my life. What was imagined in the past was real this time.  If you think things moved fast, you're right. The girl I married, whose name is Erika, didn't even want to get married. Her previous marriage was a nightmare that still haunted her, save the fact that she got two wonderful boys from that union. She put me on the "2-3 year plan." So, how did we get here?  I could break down the circumstances that got us here. Or I could simply answer with, "I prayed." I prayed that, if God would bless our union, He...

Perhaps readers wonder what happened over the last year, where I ended up, what life now looks like. Perhaps not. Fair enough.  The last few months looked a lot like this . (It's  a few seconds and says it all.)   Took time for my nervous system to return to baseline. Maybe some say it couldn't have been that bad. Oh, shucks, you're right. It was totally not a big deal. I moved 1,400 miles away and still have nightmares more than a year later. I don't plan on expounding on what happened anymore. My June 13 post, The Naked and Famous — Young Blood , explains, if there is further interest. On this blog, I cut the crap. I acknowledge the unacknowledged. It's not always pretty, but it's real.  I went through all the emotions. Anger. Destabilization.  Unease.   Disassociation. Bewilderment. Hopelessness. Moments of hope, despair, depression, exasperation, wonder, resignation, repeat. Resetting your life isn't easy. Some days, I gave up and took a nap, hoping tom...