Together
we watched the glow
of a bitter orange sun
sinking in the west –
you insisting upon
seeing that final moment
before our day star
dropped below the hills.
I walked you home
just like any other night,
the dogs sniffing secret scents,
the smoke from burning trees
torching my lungs.
We hugged goodnight,
knowing tomorrow was
not just another day …
Afterwards,
I stood here on the porch
staring up at a waxing moon.
Venus and Jupiter
Shone bright –
Shivering diamonds
bring in ‘the light of darkness’ –
Twilight, when the Earth sleeps,
Cicadas sing on .
Once inside the house
the power went out
just as I placed your name
in my holy place
surrounding you with bears.
The sudden loss
startled me – an
unwelcome reminder.
Neither
of us has the script
– the future is unknown.
I sent you an email
“star thoughts”
told you I loved you,
dear companion, friend,
difficult, impossible
man that you are.
Your response –
“we are lovers
how nice”
I don’t know
what you were thinking
you couldn’t have known
I had been star gazing…
This morning in the Bosque
the scent of mowed grass
and the sound of the river
embraced me in the dark.
I was back at dawn
to say goodbye.
Now I will spend
the day waiting
until its time to call
to find out
if all went well –
as if any operation
was simply a blip
on a screen.
This one is not.
You forget everything else…
But don’t forget
to come home
tomorrow.
