He was once soulless amid so much darkness until her words reached him. He knew her before he saw her where she impressed upon him  a sense of namelessness in things only felt. Lost in a reverie of matters that haunted his heart and mind, she sat with him and in his soul made a place warm that he had abandoned.

He could compare her to many things but the déjà vu of her life crystalized a knowing of better moments. When she cried, he held her, asking angels if it were possible that a man could miss already the women he held. Indeed, his time with her was brief but, it became the defining quality he measured much against.

A fighter, a phoenix, a woman, his muse. Her understanding and fierce compassion weathers the worst of times, her almond eyes have captured home and calm places, her love bridges the distance from his head to his heart. Her quiet strength and tenacious spirit have often rivalled the hurt and ache that the world can inspire.

Knowing her is a delight, holding her aches when he must let go, but he knows, she is there always, always in my heart.