We climbed to the top and the world stopped

The day the buffalo crossed the Yellowstone River.

We watched in wonder

And our lives made sense,

Knowing the animals didn’t need us.

We stood at the center of the caldera

While everything swirled around us.

We were dizzy from the beauty of it all.

The tree spread its arms to shelter us from the storm

And we ran breathless down the mountain,

Down the road, to the double rainbow in West Texas.

You were the boulder I stood on at the edge of the canyon,

The fire you made with the wet wood,

The trail that led we knew not where,

And the grizzly who came to us from the trees.

You could leave now

And nothing would change.

All the things we’ve said and seen and heard

Could neither be forgotten nor erased.

They are the threads that will keep me safe

No matter what detours we take.

I will knit those strands together and make a life

Of everything we’ve done.

7/31/08