OK so I am having one of those days, Melbourne – rainy, internal – and I am dreaming, letting my mind loosen its moorings and roam. There is almost relief. I strive to avoid romance – longing for that which cannot be, and therefore inevitably – I fail. But even in this the romance persists – I glean the illusion of control, the fantasy is complete and the moment out of reach. I will work this out one day … ha ha, the certainty of the resigned.

It is a bit cold today, like the way romance feels. I have lots to do – always will. So much doing, but nothing gets done. And so, I have lit the fire and surfed the net to find something that strikes the same note as the one I am singing and found Laura Marling, Marcus Mumford and Dolly Parton.

First of all – Dig Dolly, she is a completely Wild Woman and an Authentic Being. What a Musician – owns the rights to all her music. Just quietly and shortly after she penned “I will always love you” – think Whitney in younger days – remember the Bodyguard – I do working at Christmas in the Food Court, good times, sound system got stuck and permanently etched the lyrics into my neural networks – but I digress. Elvis made her a Faustian Bargain. He wanted to sing her song when she was skint, it must have been tempting but and there is always a but, he would only sing her song if he owned it outright. She turned him down. Dig this.

Also dig Laura Marling, dig the folsky swing rock, dig she was taught by Quakers but most of all I dig her sound. She sounds like freedom. Dig her more because of the past excitement – you know about the excitement, the ‘liaison’ between her good self and the powerful Marcus Mumford.

We dig it when artists get together. Johnny Cash and June Carter – finally did come together. Are they Twin Flames? One Soul in two bodies, batting to reunite and become whole again. Their combined creativity sparks luminosity and it draws and holds attention in a way that is as powerful as an addiction. It is normally a spectacular disaster, initially at least when powerful egos clash like the tidal waves of talent they house. Sadly mostly they are ultimately unable to endure the exquisite pain of shattering their own ego, the mold needed to cast the perfect form.

But the Art! The creativity! The crashing collaboration changes them and those who watch, the less brave – that would be us, in front of the fire with slippers – both kinds.

Marcus sounds to me like Romance, the longing for that which ultimately, will never be held, never reached for – perhaps because of the blinding light and the risk. There is risk, where there is breath – there is risk. Romance expunges risk, breath, life – the longing and not reaching protects from something but what?

It is, as yet, unknown – but cannot be discovered alone because there is no reflection alone. It is impossible for the curious, not to read in to the meaning of the lyrics. He waits but what is he waiting for?