Lost And Found In Guatemala

Lost And Found In Guatemala

***

It’s 1:45 AM

what’s to be said

about how the past hours

have transpired in theft

Robbed twice by fellow travelers

No passport

No money

Yet I feel joy

what words can do justice

to this feeling of happiness? 

Universal love and a woman

One last kiss 

Green eyes and a smile that pulls me

Our morning moments seem timeless

She is a photojournalist

Who has covered countless war zones

Her working partner had just been killed

She is ten years older

Much wiser in the ways of the world

I feel innocent like a child

She is here to renew until the next war zone

She is unafraid of death

I look at her in awe wanting more time

But she must leave

A hug is shared

I will never see her again 

But I caught a glimpse behind her mask

Now she lives inside me

We will never be apart

She will remain in my heart

at this moment, I feel understood 

at this moment, I’m not afraid

there is someone who recognizes me

who struggles to see the truth

what a beautiful gift

given from on high

That is enough to nourish me

As I wait for my new passport

In Guatemala City

how I trust

how I am amazed

As this feast life has laid out

This is our goodbye celebration 

it’s easy to become attached

I indeed dread her exit

I will never see her again

I can't miss the critical point

That arises every moment

Everything passes away

I watch my happiness

I taste my life

Penniless in Guatemala

I then embrace life

like a straight drink

I drink it smiling

At all that arises

Only to fade away

The grand magician's show of appearances

Then there is nothing but stillness

I crawl into bed

As I disappear

I look at her again

I  look one last time in her green eyes

Seeing her smile inspires me

Yet I know if I held her in my arms for eternity

That would still not be what I seek

But I savor this precious life

These moments of touch and care

As I drift off to sleep content

Dreaming of an indestructible Love

That I will find someday

That abides in all of us

I smile

I am at a new beginning

And the future is unknown

As it should be

***

Written April 26, 1994, in Guatemala by a very young David  Arndt. Robbed twice and trapped in Guatemala with no passport or money, yet still at peace. Sometimes what seems like tragedy is, in fact, the greatest gift.

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David Arndt 2019

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David Arndt 1994 New Passport Picture