Enduring Kiss

Odysseus returns to Ithaca,
Parched lips and throat.
Yearns for a warm embrace,
An enduring kiss.

A heady perfume permeates,
Chemicals begin to dance.
When neurons speak,
The body listens.

Worries melt;
Hearts thaw;
Fires erupt.

A lasting moment,
Rallies against entropy and time.

I have finally settled into Kingston, and had a quick look around the campus of Queen's University. Navigating my way around here is a more than a little challenging, but I am sure I will figure it out. I still have a some unpacking to do, but all that will be done in due time. My new place is brighter than my old place in Halifax, so I have to invest in some curtains for some privacy. I should get back to finishing my thesis corrections, the sooner I finish the sooner I can register and approach some form of normalcy.

Well, here we are a full 24 hours later and I have successfully defended my MSc thesis. I still have to make some minor corrections, which I can hopefully complete in time to graduate at the end of October. Even though I will be packing and moving out in two days, I'll be in limbo when I arrive in Kingston because I will not have technically completed my thesis, which Queen's requires before I can register in their PhD program.

So more work ahead, but at least I will get to spend some time with Mina before she goes home to Iran with her sister for a visit. She will only be away for about three weeks, but spending this past summer without her has been difficult. I did steal away for a week to spend time with her when my supervisor was incommunicado during his move back to Texas, but it wasn't enough. In a few days I will get a chance to spend some more time with her, but it will only be four days. I don't like being apart for such long stretches, it conditions me to be content without her and I don't want to become like that. I have waited for such a long time to find someone like Mina, and I don't want to get used to the absence of her presence. Unfortunately there is no middle ground: either I live a lonely existence without Mina, or we constantly struggle to find ways to spend even a moment together. After spending so many years without someone, going back is not an option. So I continue as best I can, when an opportunity arises to see Mina I can't hesitate: losing Mina would be devastating for me and I don't even want to contemplate what my life would be like if that ever happened.

In 16 hours I will be giving my MSc defense, and two hours later I will know my fate. I should be really worried right now, but I am extremely calm. That worrys me even more, why I am not more concerned about botching my defense? Perahaps re-reading my thesis, or going over my presentation again will help me panic like I should.

I need to take a break from packing. I think I could use that espresso right now. Its amazing, you never realize how much crap you can accumulate until you have to try and pack it all. The packing is going well, but I still have more to do. I was hoping to be done by now, that way I could have the whole weekend to prepare for my MSc defense. Now it looks like I will still have plenty to do tomorrow morning, and early next week.