Well.
You’re both down there now
with pieces of my heart,
shared like brie on a plate
for the enjoyment of this family
who loves unconditionally and
proffers a home to grow in and be safe.

We are emptier than we were yesterday,
but will fill up as time flies on.
It is our nature to share.
We can’t help it and
the helping helps us to a wide
helping of the best the world has to offer.
It is the nature of who we are.

Elk, foxes, coyotes, eagles, osprey, deer, and
all manner of domesticated creatures
populate our back yard with their blessings,
but for the first time in forty years
no quadrupeds live in our house.
So far, twenty-four hours into it,
it feels very strange, indeed.

Why do we give our hearts when
we know they will break like
dawn shatters the shimmering night?
The shadows loom above my eager heart.
I seek to give what will
always call me to grief,
for the rest of my life.

(Scripps pier in La Jolla. Courtesy of johnhmoore.com. Life goes on.)