...ongoing studies....

The tender boy lays on his side on a cold night in a hot room, his hands gentle on the back of the beautiful boy. They are wrapped in one another.
"You have a golden heart" he says.
"You cover it in layers of paper and cotton and wool and silk and leather, so that people will not see the light leaking out, but those who love you can see it..."
The beautiful boy smiles a small smile and pulls the tender boy closer....they remain, forehead to forehead, lips almost touching, sharing breath, for a long time. They are joined at the skin all the way to their feet...neither entertains the notion that the other belongs to him...they hold each other's hearts with open hands.
Soon they will be far away.
Soon things will be very different.
"What are you going to do next?" asks the beautiful boy.
The tender boy thinks a moment, and nods and grins.
"I am not sure yet..I will know when I am in the middle of it"

It is earlier in the night. The beautiful boy's eyes are wet- he shakes his head and looks into the tender boy's eyes....he shines before him, reaches out and dries his tears with a navy handkerchief. He tries to stop the flow, then gives in...the tender boy closes a hand over his, and says nothing. He knows why his friend is crying. He knows what he must leave behind, and he knows all too well the steep path he will travel. The tender boy has walked the road- he walks it still, further ahead, mind you, but if he looks back over his shoulder, he can see the beautiful boy, small and dark on the horizon. They will meet again- of this he is sure.

There is too much left to learn.