I remember it like yesterday_

She had me hooked from the beginning
Made me familiar with the thought of being afraid
With her long braided locks and grounded demeanor
I'd seen her around but I just wasn't aware
Of the scare she'd place inside my hands
Looked deep into my soul and with one touch of her flow
~I was speechless~
I tried to drop my jaw to say hello
But it just kept falling until the floor introduced itself
There are other ways to show you need help
I just found out the hard way

From the beginning when I first began to show_affection
Let me know I wasn't close to winning her protection
Until I started respecting her presence in my life
Recognize a lot of the prowess I have
Is because of the stress she alleviates
Something I couldn't debate openly
But the way her words were stroking me
Left me with a smile that took some time to wear off

A few years later I saw her again
Reminded me of a friend I didn't recognize
Because she had changed and rearranged some things
She still possessed the same zeal for life
Still appealed to the price life pays
She was just more vocal
Instead of coasting words on pads
She brought the emotion she had for me
To the forefront where love interacted

Her thoughts no longer exploded off the page
There was a need to stand before her accusers
And let her rage loose in crowded rooms
That consumed coffee on nights, afternoons and weekends
Allowing her voice to monsoon the minds of many
She let it be known
That she doesn't bow to creative souls_not any
And even though she knew this path
Would concur the wrath of many
She chose it anyway
Making "A penny for your thoughts"
A sublime motto in her expressions

A few years after that transgression
I thought the next time we interacted
Would be my ultimate satisfaction
But my reaction was far from the truth

For someone so strong and legendary
Her demeanor was almost scary
She had dropped all of her grass roots
And dug up the moneybox to buy material life
The strife she streamed about on tablets
And let loose long voices from her soul
Were in control no more
Now was no better than before
The words she'd woven in jasmine fields
Portrayed a different scent
A sublime creative epiphany in my life
Was now called the "Primetime Main Event"

People rolled through by the dozens
Had the whole country percolating and buzzing
To see the show directed by her two cousins "Hip" and "Hop"
That changed our relationship forever
As our bond slowly began to severe

She now had directors and producers
And I tried hard to get used too this new way of living
Never stopped giving my support
Even from quite a distance away
Yet she still strayed from my grasp
I slowly regained control of my hands
Instead of sitting and writing
I would stand and speak
And the uniqueness of having her in my life
Slowly faded away

If I could describe the way she was in the beginning
I wouldn't do justice to the end
She was never a lover but always a friend
Made my feet grow much wider
So I can now stand firmer than before
Gave me a map to my mind and let me begin to explore
A woman as mystic as time and as free as can be
As warm as the sun at dawn
And as vast as the sea
And if you ever openly wonder who this person could be_

See the woman that I'm talking about is POETRY.

And guess who showed up at my door_today?