Under the wild cypress tree

A canyon alive with laughter

I watched you

Through the bonfire's glow

Through the embers

Casting their shadow

Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You"

Melting into "Blue"

It was true

Everything felt right

In the canyon at midnight

Every letter you wrote

Every scribble, doodle, and song

An expression of your soul I thought

Composed

Exposed

A place where I belonged

Your letters

Your voice

The choice

You made

How such a love could exist

Now a mere memory

I can only reminisce

Sheep Meadow at dawn

Bodies tangled on the lawn

A stage

A song

It won't last long

Hold on

When the tides inevitably turn

And the sun surrenders its glow

Will you smile despite your pain

And offer a lifeline

To all who came

My name is just a name

Nothing more

All the things

The stuff

It's never enough

And so I stand here now

Somehow

Eyes closed

Hints of jasmine

Wisps of cedar

Imagine

Feet on the ground

Reborn

A soul that's found

The passing of a storm

Like a thread pulled loose

Coming undone

Softly

Like a vow never spoken

A door left open

I knew

Before your lips met mine

Before the stars forgot to shine

Before the night swallowed us whole

I was already gone