you found another where I left you
notes from the last time i was in love
midcontinent
500 kilometers
each generation moved south
from the bering bridge to
a foot on tierra del fuego.
see her, at midcontinent,
brow soft, knowing she
would rather die tomorrow
across the mountains
than stay here.
no tribe could dissuade her, though
the hunt around them was sure.
i alone followed you,
one foot beside
and the other behind,
until i deserted,
and backtracked alone. the fear
was mine,
but I know you doubted too
when the night held us.
now I come back, expectant,
but find an empty clearing
where we spent
those last days.
i trace the grass,
our cups,
the sky
they whisper only this:
you found another
where I left you.
—
san francisco, aug 2015
notes: editing by matthew cooper - photo from a ways outside moab, ut