map

A map in my happy hands

teaches  'surprise' and 'explore'.

Stokes our excitement

of the newfound nearby ocean

a crescent sandy beach where

 

we may doze on comfy orange towels

dream of children giggling in the surf

during dazzling afternoons

 

and then the sudden horror of your falling

out the second story window

from where we hoped to view this sea

onto cold black ground beneath.

 

Now instead I lie alone 

these days and nights

of unrelenting down-pour

to explore oceanic grief

with your picture where you're dancing sweetly smiling

placed next to a bag of your favorite ginger candy and

this flickering candle that grace

our unmapped losses

on my fireplace.