gnaws at my core as tears form

a feeling of loneliness overcomes me

alone with thoughts of another place

not a place on any map

but a place somewhere in time

a place visited in the mind

but shared as if real

sharing the loneliness with those

who dare to venture to another place

few are there, fewer stay long

the courage it takes can drain

but the longer you stay

the more often you visit

the greater the strength becomes

to withstand, to overcome, to grow