�

My best friend introduced me to the song "A Case of You" by Joni Mitchell. It's a song about love, but it's not a love song. The line that always makes me think is "I remember that time you told me, you said 'Love is touching souls.' Surely you've touched mine, 'cause part of you pours out of me in these lines from time to time."

Many philosophical and spiritual paths speak of letting go of desire, putting things through the fire so you can burn off the rubbish and keep what is permanant. But how many of us can get past the trappings of life and look only at the soul? Our soul is covered by our bones are covered by our skin is covered by our clothes. The clothes we wear, the car we drive, the places we go, all depend upon how much money we have. And sometimes when we think we're breaking down the barriers, we're still just naked skin pressed against naked skin, unable to get beyond flesh and bones and become two touching souls.

One time, someone asked two of my friends what it was like to be gay. I was puzzled at her question: to me the answer would be, The same as being straight, except we're both guys. I would like to think that if my beloved and I had both been born men, or both been born women, that we would have been able to look beyond appearances and find each other.

Everything in life has the potential of being simple, but it usually doesn't end up being that way, does it?