Our Separation
We pause at the window of the ferry car deck
to watch shadows on the surface of the water
chase each other across the waves like dolphins
In this place we share our separation
A distant beacon swings its light towards us
before turning away once again to pierce
the darkness between the islands
The ferry horn bellows twice
and when the echo of this interruption fades
we are alone with the humming engine
the whispering sea
and the steady rhythm of our breath
Lifeline
Which one is your lifeline?
I can never remember
which of the three deep lines
coursing across your palm
The curved one that branches at the end
or one of the two running parallel
never touching
I trace them with my fingertips
while you sleep
This long line striking out
diagonally from your thumb
seems out of place
shaped like a bolt of lightning
it intersects divides interrupts
Do you dream of the line between us
the separation of the drowning from
the drowned?
I need to find your lifeline
to see whether it forks at the end
it will tell us how many
children you will have
or whether your life will be cut short
I can never remember
