the forever year

daisy chain, caged breath
and suddenly it was clear that walls do not matter

we had to reinvent god, we had to rewrite
a new kind of prayer

we know what happened by the River Piedra
what children drew with chalk on the pavement

in the forever year we turned inwards
and we dug up our way back to the garden

towards the green that returns again and again
in spite of its own scarring

we traced the outline of waves in wrapping paper
we saw the palm pressed against a windowpane

something other than a voice or a face
to overcome the longing and the sadness

as ‘for a while’ became indefinite
we bowed to everything that is smaller

than the days, the chores, the hours
we held the thought, and stocked up on candles

we sought shelter, to finally find
the hidden layer