i make a temporary home
for just the afternoon
where rocks and roots
embrace so tightly by the
stream they become one
another they change
for each other

here at the water’s edge
i find a pool for mermaid
dipping in, a place
where love gets in
and for a while I pray
for you  and willfully
ignore your messages

i pull the layers off
and slide in naked
choosing gratitude not shame
author-ity not institution
integrity not law
become the huntress and the
virgin who renews her wholeness

we cannot make each other whole
but recognize a kindred soul
hold on like rocks and roots
that grow together
make the bank where
what was once the hidden lakes
and what was once the snow
becomes the cooling pool
becomes the laughing brook