Karen Ruff Poet Free verse

To An Online Friend

Physically, my dear...
     We are so far apart.

When you laugh
     I cannot touch your face 
     or see the sparkle in your eyes.
When you hurt
     I cannot hold your hand
     or sit shoulder to shoulder
     in a quiet place to silently
     ease your pain.

We cannot compete
     in good natured fun
     by skipping stones 
     across a quiet lake
     although yours--I'm sure,
     would always bounce
     once more than mine.
We can't hang out
     in a burger joint
     swapping fries like silly teens,
     or help each other up the mountains
     that are part of both our lives.

I cannot bring you coffee
     or share the burden of your work
     or tag along on  trips
     you don't even want to take.
I cannot kiss you 
     when we're happy
      or hug you
     when we both are sad.

So many little things
     friends can usually do....
     quiet pleasures taken without thought,
     moments that invite
     a gentle word or tender touch.
All are denied to us.

And yet a line invisible
     connects our hearts and minds
     in bytes transmitted
     with all the love our hearts can hold. 
And there is nothing
     my hands could do for you
     that my mind
     has not already done.

And as the wild doe is drawn
     without thought
      to water she cannot see,
So, my friend, 
     thru an unseen channel
     my spirit is drawn to thee.

So...if I could have one wish...
      if God would grant one prayer
I would ask.....
     somehow...somewhere
     that time would pause 
    for a precious moment
     that we, two , can share.

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Peter Dome January 2, 2014 at 8:40 AM Beautiful but so sad. I know the feeling. why do they always live so far away.. Hope your dream comes trie. best wishes. Pete. Karen Ruff January 2, 2014 at 10:50 AM Thanks. We actually did meet and had coffee at a little cafe when I was on one of my many trips. Actually, I've eventually met many people that originally started out as internet friends an am even married to one. Most of the time however, internet friends remain exactly that.

Frederic Parker January 1, 2014 at 2:52 PM many a friend I've met, their lives somwhere out there, their words the only hands my eyes have ever touched, yet I know them, for each poem they post they reveal a little more, as I reveal,none I will ever know but for the gentle pages of discourse and human interaction, such is this world where bonds are forged and the distance between minds can not be measursed because poetry is the tether that binds us all

Vicky Tsiluma January 1, 2014 at 12:53 PM Wow! Beautiful!!! This is stunningly brilliant! You have managed to capture all that is lost in online communication yet that which we often take for granted. I like the nostalgic feeling in the poem - which should not be possible given that the memories are not real but an imagined reality. Great poem Karen. I will definitely be looking forward to more from you. Karen Ruff January 2, 2014 at 8:10 AM Thank you. Glad you liked it.

Anne-Lise Andresen January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PM - A poem with lots of warm thoughts .... beautiful, Karen! - oxox // Anne-Lise :)