For Talia
In a moment, prehistory, we were made in mutuality out of soil and sky
A cosmic creation, us, distilled into monday night drinks and patches of
Marigolden brilliance
In a moment, in the fifth millennium, sisters side by side at a loom
Wove tenderly the cloth that would swaddle their daughters and theirs, softness pressed to skin
An imprint of the sweater I never gave back
In a moment, a girl opened her heart in the passenger seat of a subaru
Illuminated in the headlights was the first acceptance she’d ever known,
A choice from antiquity, thicker than blood
As in, we made our escape from lonely adolescence
Praying that benevolence would forge something lasting
A shared foundation shifting from street to street, our toothbrushes aligned
The light from my bedroom always reaching yours
Hanging your laundry, damp, alongside my own
As in, when college was unkind to us
Reforging the link and whispering, “you, I cannot lose.”
Planting ourselves firmly on the world’s ugliest couch, brushing my hair, braiding yours
Crying to Tyra Banks and carving vows in stone that we,
Unbreakable, unshakeable, will last
As in, exhilarating generosity and overwhelming grace
“Here, take my umbrella, here, I don’t mind. Don’t worry, I’ll drive.
I’m bringing you coffee, can I cook for you tonight? You’ve hurt me, but don’t worry, forgiveness has never been so simple.” This, at least, it is easy to know
That unendingly, we are linked.
I want to be your neighbor forever
Two points on a bridge, a map, the continental United States,
A string tied around my middle and pulling me forever
To you