Beyond the Lines – A Valentine’s Day Poem

Beyond the lines that never meet
Beyond the lines that intersect
A universe so kind and sweet
Is urging us to reconnect.

A universe so kind and sweet
Is flowing right beneath our feet
Concealed by lines of strain and stress
The lines that undermine success
The lines that underline defeat.

The crisscross lines of endless time
That trap us in a paradigm.
The zig-zag lines that intervene
Are battle lines
That can’t be seen.
They’re seeping through the in-between
of hanging vines so intertwined
with vanished dreams
and vintage wine

The bottom lines of the same old grind
The dotted lines where our soul is signed
The deadlines that must get things done.
The lifelines that have lost their fun
The parallel lines that never meet
The guidelines that are obsolete
The crooked lines that miss the point
The vantage points that cross the line
These lines are drawn between two points
But what’s the point of all these lines?

The vantage points
have gone askew
A parallax of points of view
A paralysis of people whose
Analysis is nothing new.

A latitude of attitudes
A longitude of platitudes
Instill the mind with endless fear
The plane that circles ’round the sphere
In ever-higher altitudes
That takes us to a higher plane
Of never-ending gratitude
Where problems simply disappear
And boundaries are insane.

The lines that loom above our head
The warp and woof of tangled thread
That hide the existential dread
The clothing woven out of fear
The garments that are finally shed
The moment stillness does appear
For here, the mind is finally dead.

The verve and swerve of contoured lines
Diverge and merge and churn designs
Of twirling turnsAnd whirling curves
That spiral into swirling worlds
Of the absurd. 

A parabola of paradox
A traveler between the dots
A paradise outside the box
The portal of the equinox.

Aligned with what’s behind the mind
Beyond the lines can’t be defined
It toggles brains and boggles minds
It casts off chains with new domains
That are enshrined
With the divine. 

Beyond the lines of space and time
Beyond the blind that lead the blind
Beyond the bars of mental prison
Lies the joy of timeless wisdom
And a heart that has forgiven.

And with the spark of intuition
With the magic of musicians
And the music of magicians
A Universe so sweet and kind
Ignites our minds with Valentines.

Elliot Sullivan