For Nancy Logsdon Mandelkorn, R.I.P., April 5, 2015
I lost a partner.
She told people she “fell in love” with me before she knew me.
She meant she fell in love with my work in the world,
how I gave her courage to be.
We took care of each other, that’s what mattered, still does.
Refugees from rockier shores,
Who found safe harbor with each other for awhile.
I lost a partner.
Which people don’t understand, seeing as our relationship didn’t fit their boxes.
We weren’t a married couple,
nor did we want to be, yet our love has just as much right to be.
I lost the melody to my harmony.
There was no question when she got ill that I would take care of her, that’s the values we share.
I lost a partner in our love of nature as alive being
Lost our political dialogue
Our sardonic game of cultural crit
Our home-making
Our community-building.
We weren’t a merged being, we treasured our separateness.
I lost a common language
Not centered in procreation or a couple fulcrum at all.
More about cooperating at small and many-sized connecting levels
The way humanity needs to adapt
As we go on
losing individual partners …….
and still …
keeping our center whole.
