unfinished business

it's the embrace never given
the listening ear never offered
it's the cigarette left unlit
the ounce of vodka left in the rock glass
it's the novel missing its last chapter
the ballad missing its final stanza
it's the dream that goes unchased
it's the pain that's never released
it's the endless trysts without making love
it's the lullabies murmured without soul
it's the four-wheel drive that never strays from the highway
it's the mind that never wanders down the unsearched path
the wick without spark
the lake with no visitors
it's the cream without coffee
it's the unused side of the bed
it's the unknown heart
the unclasped hand
the untouched upper lip
it's what it is to be human
it's the feeling that tonight goes unslaked.
~ Mark Andrew Nouwen