where

for Isabel Nuñez

where are you now
on what divine bridge
beneath what magical tree
where are you
in this invisible sea
that spreads before us
lifts present to past
in a wave of remembrance
not meant to last
where are you
when I question
where are you when I ask

will you answer me
with lesser treasures
and give me direction
in smaller measure
making me fill
that footprint I treasure
releasing the trap
becoming untethered

from sharks once abounding
are the Sirens still sounding
is it dangerous now
will I be safe without you
can I miss you somehow
yet hold onto imagine
like an ever faint etching
is this my challenge
my friend
my mentor
your fixer
your dry-eyed repentant
fortune tellers step in
and resolve in a moment
what we stumble on
at the wheel of wonder
am I the drifter
or the driftee

will the tide of
our friendship

move the sea

beneath you
beneath me