long distance

hints of white noise line your voice as it travels through
the network of wireless connections that link us together
I imagine a conduit, a serpentine length of channel slithering
across continents, voyaging across an ocean or two
battling pirates, evading sirens and maelstroms
bringing algae, corals, and the sound of waves to my ears
you are not the easy breath that rose and sank
against my chest. your voice used to be an even tone
I could gauge its density, feel its texture
then time exploded into so many islands
each with its own plan of sustenance, dividing us into maps with
bespoke borderlines. you floated away on borrowed wings
you’ve become a fragment of soundwaves that reaches me
through a merciful serpent. I sit, prayerful, waiting.