At 33 I discovered Amtrak trains, forget the freeways and exits that all look the same. Seeing the country the way it once was, ride the train and dare fall in love. When did we lose romance? And forget to slow dance, when taking a chance, on our way to falling in love? From Northeast to Midwest I travel, while life’s mysteries unravel, no longer a confused poet left to babble. My words are the seeds I need to plant, or my heart will bleed without the chance, for true love and her hand in dance, as we glide through the night, to the tune of delight, under magnificent stars so bright. May we manifest memories, from what were just dreams?

Sigh no more and free your heart of the burden of your pain and worry. Absolve doubt because the world will always insist it. Believe when it's the hardest because that is when you need it the most. Find traction in simple routine, one foot forward at a time. Symphonies are not written with but the stroke of a hand. World titles, not achieved in a single game. Families not built without love and loss. Pain will come and go but your self concept will be carried always. Lighten your load and set yourself free to fly. Focus on the attainable and practical but never relinquish the grand architect that is your dream weaver. Discover those that infect you with life and all of its possibilities. Listen to music and read books created by legions of the light. Darkness will always linger if you let it chase you. Light will awake your soul if you listen to its calls. Love will last lifetimes if you are capable of returning its longevity. Vision will vaporize vast delusions of doomed fate and misfortune. Days cannot be measured in numbers rather progress towards the image of yourself you have seen in your most triumphant dreams. Dare to have your soul touched by the infinite illumination of inspiration from events and systems both finite and grand. The key to touching the heart is offering a helping hand.

More than ever we need to capture the imagination of a people divided and it begins with you and I, in places like this, on days like this, and it doesn’t begin with a wish, rather a warm gesture, helping hand, soft gaze, and inviting smile that suggests that you’re the type of person who believes in the soul of a man or woman; someone who believes in the ingredients underneath; daring to possess faith without needing to see the fine print; the choice not to flee from but retreat to one another and discover the multitude of ways we can make one another’s lives better with our own two hands, two feet, reciprocity, and rhythmic heartbeat.

How is it on a planet with 7.53 billion people we can feel so damn alone?