Twirl and Swirl

I frequently get asked where my general purpose user name, "twirlandswirl," comes from.  I usually flippantly answer, "oh, some poem," because saying I wrote it makes me feel like a teenager in a dark corner with a sketch book and a can of Red Bull.  But, fact of the matter is, it IS a poem I wrote, and it's probably the single piece of work I've created that I'm most proud of.  I'm not saying it is by any means "perfect," but I read it, and I feel exactly what I felt when I wrote it.  It stirs in me exactly what I aimed for it to relate to the reader, and, in that respect, I believe it is a success.  I wrote it in high school, and have made precious few revisions in the decade since.

I don't expect everyone to like it.  I don't expect ANYONE to like it, per se.  I'm not looking for people to assuage my ego, and don't want anyone to feel obligated to leave any feedback whatsoever.  (Do feel free to!  But I'm not fishing for compliments or anything.)  But, as I keep getting asked just where it is twirlandswirl comes from, I thought I would supply a more thorough answer.

My world is cloaked in the darkness only the dead of night can bring

Over my head hang a thousand tiny worlds, unknown to those who dwell here

Pinpoints of light, as numerous as the grains of sand on a paradise beach

Dance the eternal dance of years gone by

My heart yearns to be among them

To join in, and learn the steps that only time can teach

I feel so misplaced on this cold, hard chunk called Earth

My spirit longs to be away

To soar higher than mortal men have dared to dream

To brush the sky with wings of light

To twirl and swirl and loose myself

Feel my body enveloped by the very fabric of time and space

I long to work my fingers through the threads that hold the Universe together

Have the secrets of infinity whispered into my ears by beings I cannot even comprehend

And be at home, finally home

Away from fear, doubt, and the chains that hold me here

Finally free, finally among the stars