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The Search
by
Paul Curtis
Since I was a young man,
Little more than a boy
I searched for it, my holy grail
The key, which will unlock me
The piece of the puzzle, which will complete me
My reflection, my soul mate
I looked everywhere
But no love at first sight
No lightning bolts, no electric shocks
I searched for years for my perfect other
But that’s not right I didn’t seek perfection
I didn’t have a set of criteria
Not Hair colour, eyes, height, shape
Accent, social background, interests or age
I didn’t have a vision of her
I didn’t even know what I sought
But when I saw her I would know
Not that I went hunting
I didn’t engage in quests or pursuits
I knew that if it was suppose to happen it would
If I were fated to be alone, then so be it
So I went about my living my life
Work, friends, family holidays in the lakes
And I had a very happy life
Not an empty existence
Just a feeling of incompleteness
One of the pleasures of life for me
Was inhabiting books shops
Proper bookshops with rows of leather and vellum
Shelves full of old friends
Dickens, Buchan, Lewis, Too many to name
One day I stood thumbing a well-read volume
And I dropped it to the floor inexplicably
I stooped to retrieve it
But another hand reached it first
As we both stood up
I breathed her scent then I met her gaze
And saw the smile on her lips and in her eyes
As she placed the book in my hand
Our fingers touched for the briefest moment
And a tingle of electricity passed between us
“Ah there you are,” I said to myself
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