Love Poem: Mr Dudley
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Written by: Curtis Johnson

Mr Dudley

As I was halfway through my flight and half asleep,
I began to dream about an elderly gentleman sitting
next to me.  In the dream, after saying his name was
Dudley, he started telling a story about his early life
romance and enduring marriage. What amounted to
a dream about a dream, Mr. Dudley's story upended
my sleep and with all ears in, I began to listen as he
went on to say:

"There was a 16-year-old girl named Sweet,
and a 19-year-old young man named Sitruc.
They had a very short season of romance.
She was not the one that 'got away'. She
simply was among several that 'went away'.

Before Sweet, there was a childhood sweetheart
named Max. And after Sweet, there was Beauty,
Pretty, Charm, Rose, and Stunning.

Looking back, I have concluded that none of them 'got away'
but simply 'went away'. Yes, they all went away like yearly
seasons. Like the early rains of Spring, they showered upon
me a sense of exuberance, fascination, and infatuation. They 
were sweet and wonderful, but a lasting relationship was not to be.

Like dramatic scenes in a play, they walked
across a stage of my life, played their roles,
and moved on, as did I on their stage of life.
There were some tears, but the curtains closed.

They were all genuine, and not one of them was
ever really seen as the one that got away, but
I suspect their purpose was to 'make way' for Honey,
the one that I met and married. She was not the one
that got away, nor one that went away. She was the
one in 1970 with whom I fell in love and caused me
to forsake all others for her.  I have been forsaking
ever since, and we have been married for 50 years".

As the plane touched down, I awoke from a sweet
sleep and a most wonderful dream.

91422PSCtest, The Mystical Dream. Anoucheka Gangabissoon.3P