*From my research, I believe the original image (the right image) was created by the illustrator named. I’m not sure who did the flipped, black image and combined the two.

***

It seems to me that when we find the right person or people, we should hold tight. Whether friend or lover, finding a safe harbor in this indiscriminate world gives us peace, comfort, and even strength.

By Candice Louisa Daquin

Your skin collects starlight
ebony turns blue in dusk
we curl tighter till no division exists
the pounding emptiness I got so used to
dissolves.

The Artist of my Soul by Jude Itakali

Who are you that sees me so clear 
A voyeur who prowls my soul 
And drips between its layers 
Daring to divulge 
Secrets I did not know I had. 
How in so short a time 
Have you found what none has found in a lifetime 
When did you become the artist of my life story 
Deftly splodging my pain in patterns across the page 
Depicting my fears in adroit designs of nervous hues 
Smearing my dreams in lustrous colours and glossy paints 

Are you a gift sent to make me whole 
A match meant to be 
Or are you a curse… 
Bait dangled by fate 
A taste of what will never be 

Jude’s additional thoughts – While writing this, I kept asking myself; can a soulmate be merely a friend (be it a lifelong one), or is a soulmate meant to be a lover or partner?