Your weeks in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia with Vinnie teach you that physical distance is no substitute for emotional distance. You see Susan in the stunted Washington monument, in the sluggish sprawl of the Potomac, in the cracked Liberty Bell, and in the copy of Walden you carry about.

Your only respite from Susan arrives in the person of Charles Wadsworth, a preacher if you are a poet. In attendance at Arch Street Presbyterian Church, you first see only Susan in his face; word by word, however, you uncover Charles—a kindred soul with whom you will share not only your writing, but also (in time) your Susan.

Turn to page 22.