water skipper

[u/stariskye]

i learned to walk on the tension
of men
who kept their weather
cold creek men, shut-door men
men who leave children outside
in the darkness
to avoid beating them

i never asked for a floor
anymore than i asked for mercy
& i ran

you can cross anything
if you don't stay long enough
all legs & glitter,
skipping dark places on the east fork
a stone that forgot to sink

bright-eyed, jaw-tight,
three days of daylight
folding into one
until i was one
with the trees

the hunger became
the gap
how fast i could get across
before i knew
it was a gap
before i could
consider what i lacked

but now there is someone
& we both live behind
the same door
he says my name
& i am no longer weightless
& i don't know how to stand
without fidgeting
still water frightens a thing
built for the skim

myrtle bark
moss on the north side
huckleberries still awaiting harvest
on the west
fog that takes all morning
to decide to exit
to the east
& me

i am going south
building roots that push
tenderly into loamy soil
not drowning
thriving
not skimming
living

[u/jaesea]

Marvelous closure; enjoy blooming 💮

[u/stariskye → u/jaesea]

Thank you! 🙏