I visited a place today br one that was once unfamiliar to me br like a foreign land that br I knew not of br but today is part of my home br I tried to envision it like it was br when we first walked along the river br and stared at the remnants of the br holiday season yet to come br now as I ran down the same path br down the same stretch of browngreen br dead grass, and heard the leaves make br a mournful crunch under my feet br I felt br the same br joyous feeling that we shared br hand in hand br and yet it was completely different br I felt strength br and power br and momentum br in my legs br to keep running, keep moving past br the trees and the lights and the signs br and the happy couples holding hands in the dark br hoping not to be seen and break br the shadows of inconspicuousness br that make love so desirable br and though I felt completely alone br amidst the lights of the season, br surrounded by the emptiness that one br feels before their eyes have adjusted to the dark br I was secure br and independent br without apprehension of the next dark bend in the path br and that place is no longer br our place br but my place br my dark path of which I hold no fearbr br Katherine Rhodesbr br