TOO FAR NEAR

            "Sometimes close enough is just too far away," Tony lamented in the ear of next valley over neighbor and best friend, Mel.

            Mel looked up to a too tall in the saddle Tony.  She crinkled freckled forehead.  "Yeah, chums too long, the cloak of closeness," through blue bandana, her lips lamented right along with him.  She silently added the thought, "Together we are indivisible, yet I'm invisible to you."

            "We're getting close," Tony squinted through the dust at the back of the herd.  Over the rise, the yet over a mile away cattle corral had finally come into view against the backdrop of the Horse Shoe Mountains.

            "Nowhere close enough," Mel lifted bottom of bandana and spit grit.  She reined her dapple roan close to the Brown Moose, as Tony called his horse.  She grabbed the reins of Moose and pulled back.  Moose halted.

            Tony looked down at her, said, "What's up, Mel?"

            Mel's jaw locked.  A tear fell from right eye, ran down the dust of her cheek, disappeared into blue bandana.

            Above his bandana the eyes of Tony grew concerned.  "Something bothering you, Mel?"

            Mel fought it, but the dam of cowgirl toughness burst.  She wept; threw in a few convulsions for lost hope measure; cried out, "The too far near... are too often alone." She wept some more.

            Tony pulled down his bandana.  The stone of his chiseled face melted away.  He reached over.  He pulled down that dusty tear washed rag from her freckled face.  He bent over.  His lips touched hers.

            No cattle got worked that day... but dust floated... floated away in the waters of a favorite nearby childhood swimming hole... of many years ago...
         
         
            Suggest you might want to read The Song of Solomon, a powerful book of love in the most powerful book of love ever written, the Holy Bible.