The Cape

I should just let you go But it feels a little like Holding your beautiful face under the water Watching your reflection flicker into your last breath I should just Summon suitcases to pack up Our summer beach trip When your hair was like wheat, and disappeared into the grass You were bright against the drawn curtain of clouds My star sister, with our heels dirty with sand and motherhood I secretly waited for your heart to misfire The corners of my eyes recognizing the embers I can still see how you picked apart your food at dinner Bite by bite-- your slender fingers reminding me of a crabs This is also how you sorted and shelved your life Empty carapaces gobbled up clumsily by the waves Red fire, gold and silently You picked me clean and set my crown on the lacquered shelf No longer awake and calm in your heart I am neat and tidy, far from all things remembered