In case you were wondering, no, I’m not engaged. The Proposal was the product of a fit of inspiration that grew out of my fascination with a mental image of a crystal clear autumn dusk in a small grassy dell beneath a large picturesque tree. In the air, falling like snowflakes, were small gauzy points of light. The word dentrites sprung to mind when I thought how to describe them. The scene was supposed to be electrifying.
I wrote the first two verses trying to describe the scene then got stuck. I asked a friend if I should go up or down and she said down. I began exploring ideas that had to do with the physical and the excitement a guy might feel just before he proposes came to mind as I explored the idea of romance. Had my friend recommended I go up I would have sought a heavenly or spiritual experience. Who knows what might have come of it.