I remember the center,
how it feels to be in the middle of things.
Sometimes, depending on if it’s raining,
or if it’s cold
or if the waitress brings my coffee with grounds in it,
I’ll smile – thinking.

If I listen hard enough,
I can hear you laughing.
Like bells, you are polite, and the winds
fill in everything else.


Then, there is today.
I find myself recognizing the happiest
you would ever be.
While the delicate fingers of
someone else mark the heart of your life,
you smile, and, like a bird,
your eyes move with my heart.


Sometimes, I am concerned
you knew it would never be the same.
Now, your life is falling, courageously.
It’s different looking back,
being able to see the exact center of my life.

I’m hoping that maybe,
if I walk slow,
you won’t be so far behind.