TAKE ME WITH YOU

I close my eyes, the dawn is
coming. There is more warmth
even before the sunrise. Love
me down more and more.

The road is now visible—
mud and thorny rose stems
line the path to the end,
the petals on either side, and beyond that,
no evidence of humanity—
only green hills as far as the eye can see.

I am not the first person on this
road (there are footprints of greater ones in the mud), but
I am alone and barefoot. My head will hang low,
there will be tears in my eyes—
I can see that. Some will be
with me, but invisibly—
a voice that says, “I’ll be by your side.”

What is gone won’t be relived, it’s found its way
into my blood.
There are few regrets.

I open my eyes.
It is day out.

(January 8, 2009)