While reading Du Fu’s poems and feeling such peace, I pause and think about how this serenity could be shattered by another that’s supposed to love me.
An argument the night before, an unkind word, a caustic remark,
my peace assaulted, my patience strained.
Though in rare, lonely times I pine for a caring, supportive female companion, at other more sobering times, I realize the insertion of another into my solitude could sabotage my serenity, compromise my peaceful life.
My occasional romanticization of an idealized other devoid of drama, free of tensions, love without friction, enduring forever, is as unrealistic as believing in Saint Nick bearing Christmas gifts.
Bob Boyd