Can One Love a Stranger?

He has yet to hold her
near her spirit, his presence is felt.
His scent she's yet to capture
yet, his effervescence steals her breath.

A taste yet savored, pleasured,
her lips have kissed his thoughts.
She has not been blessed with his embrace
still he is so dearly missed.

He caresses her gently
through carefully chosen words
soothes her soul with laughter,
captures her attention, she becomes whole.

This reality causes some friction
on many nights of lonely
consumed with, "if only".
Window slightly raised

so close, yet so far.
His location a mystery
yet her hear wants residence there.
Wishing he could hold her

needing him to console
if only his fingertips
could catch her tears as they fall.
Hoping he would hear her souls' sighs.

as she ponders a confused heart.
Listening intently to each syllable he projects
whispering to all others
so only he can savor her voice's tone.

Replaying their sessions of conversing
physically absent, soulfully present, yet still alone.
Shuddering from him as breezes pierce the skin
unable to express this overwhelming emotion
coaxed out by knowledge of his being.


How does one speak of someone
they have barely begun to know?
How is it that here she sits
yearning for his touch,


believing that they
will not remain separate being.
In clear view of potential emotional fallout
will two people drawn to each other...
Oh, damn, can one love a stranger?


Will two people drawn to each other….
Oh, damn, can one love a stranger?
Should this insanity be cured?

sjo/jazz 6/6/2011
I had been thinking about all the online romances going on and it had me thinking.

I like that poem. It brings back memories of so long ago. When I was in high school I worked part time in a restaurant. The cashier had a huge crush on me and was in school with my x-wife. I was unaware of it at the time. Not very observant, I guess. When I started dating my wife the other girl quit the restaurant and I never saw her again until last year. Her obit was in the paper. My x- wife then told me all about it.

No. We can't love someone we've never met, we can only love an ideal. Someone you've met, in person, letter or online, is no longer a stranger, unless they misrepresent themselves which they can do in any medium--leaving us, deceived, and back with the ideal.


It's a good thing there's no such thing as fate. Someone fated to love a stranger would only be reading a script.

I see what you're saying, but it's just thoughts about emotions. Poetry is analyzed everyday, but only the writer knows the intent. Perhaps you could title it "Could One Be Obsessed By a Stranger?', but that wasn't the intent. How well do we really know some people we meet on the internet? What I was relaying were emotions that may happen to anyone. I have friends on here I cherish. Call it a crush, infatuation whatever you wish. There are many people who think they are in love until they get all the facts. It's just a poem, not a rule. Thanks for your insight.

I know what you mean, but what I'm really getting at is the second part there. You rightly ask, "How well do we really know anyone on the Internet?", and I ask too, How well do we know anyone we meet in person? Emotions overriding reason instead of using them both, and justifying them with by notions such as fate and blind "love", so often lead to tragedy by accepting someone too quickly at face value.

Is poetry any less susceptible to that trap? If I could write poetry (instead of just critique it --those that can't do, teach; and those that can't teach, evaluate) , I'd focus on the angst of trying to balance reasoned commitment with the soul gripping power of physical and emotional attraction. Love, I believe, isn't or shouldn't be an emotion itself, but rather a reasoned commitment driven by the emotions, yin/yang--with "fate" as the enemy.

I would say, "just sayin'", but I think I blew that up way back there.