SOMETIMES, we need rituals to intercede, mediate, or simply act as pesky little go-betweens when life suddenly becomes a wee bit too functional for occasional intangibles to penetrate the security locks of our convenient lives. These are the moments when cash registers forget to calculate, greenbacks turn pale yellow, traffic lights turn blue… moments when a child’s angelic grin melts icebergs, a two-line poetry outwits volumes of mathematical theories, a warm kiss dissolves a hundred world wars, and the mere presence of a Muse changes the tone of day. Always believe in the workings of a heart that beats with a spirit with no shape or color… [--Scribbled on a Greyhound ticket, on my way to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, from New York City. Winter 1999]