For Maria

Love poem

The morning she left
The sun rose
To the midpoint of
Where it would be
At the center of the day

There would be no more
Swinging from tires hung from trees
By fraying rope
No more dancing at the bar
Half-drunk on shots of
Cheap tequila
No watching you swim
Top less in the creek
Emerging from the water -
Breaking the surface
The most perfect breaststroke dripping
As you slick your dark locks back
And out of your eyes

This is far from an
Ordinary sanity
People - like you -
Traveling to places
You might not actually know