I reach into the light
to turn it off for one more hour
but as it blooms bright
again and again I realize
I could’ve had more
but it’s not like I’ll remember
what hasn’t even been said
even now in the dark words
squeeze life out of the page
there’s a flickering of faces and flowers
fires burning up the mountain slopes
chanting above the clouds outside
where would I be without outside
the wind racing through familiar branches
while the roots hold tight
it’s a long fierce breath
that runs ahead of the sun
my ears play tricks these days
it might be rain I might reach
into that light once more
set my feet on the floor
take a breath before I move
down the soft dark hall
to stand under the sky
where I can feel the embrace
of the well-traveled air
and hang this poem up to dry
kohalamichael 