was long
but less so each time
my mind traces back over it

The icy ridgeline,
the way the water rushes out
without first thinking

Each dog that passed through
the muddied snow
thinking it was an elk  

I am that one
who pauses in the pathway
of growing moss,

touching lichen with
two fingers
and calling a prayer of gratitude

I didn’t know
how you would come to me
or which tree I’d find you under.

Nothing startles me anymore,
not the thunder of you
or the quiet

way you edge
through the snow-packed
trail, big and

always moving forward.
How can I keep up
other than to go

at the pace that is mine?
That’s all
you’re asking

so I remind myself
not to forget
to sing.

Wearing my heart outside of here
like a whole,
steady creature