By Holly Chandler
Date: 24 June 1997

No way

"No way to spend restless
nights," she said out loud in the dark, 
no way at all."
As thunder crashed and
lightning lashed out across
a tumultuous sky she sat to write...
She took pen in hand
to try to escape the bittersweet
longing for someone far away.
In her mind she pictured
how it would be when they met-
How he would hold her
and how she would never let go...
Then she lay back down
on the bed-only a stuffed
animal to console her...
She closed her eyes-tried
hard to shut out the 
sounds of the storm outside...and in.
She imagined comforting arms
wrapping around her, loving
hands smoothing her hair, 
a tender voice soothing her fears...
And gently, ever so gently, 
she drifted off to dream-
in the imaginary embrace of one
so far away...