like two ships passing in the night

ships that pass in the night and speak each other in passing;

only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness;

so on the ocean of life we pass and speak one another,

only a look and a voice; then darkness again and a silence.

-from Tales of a Wayside Inn. Part iii. The Theologian's Tale: Elizabeth. iv.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

lately i've become more interested in expressions and idioms. i think they often manage to capture a feeling more accurately than a one word description. of course they can often sound terribly cheesy or cliche. but still, i'm anxious to discover ones i've never heard before. there a few though that i already know that for some reason seem to consistently resonate with me... 'like two ships passing in the night' has always made my heart sink. it makes me ache with the knowledge that there is so much that my life will briefly touch and brush past, and never truly experience-a flash of something and then nothing. it makes me ache with loss...a feeling of loss for what i've never actually had, but still i can feel the lack