Dear one I am keeping
your next breath
very close to me
I carry it around
like a sacred amulet
like a child’s toy
like the sky itself in my heart
with it I walk on the earth
dignified and slow
like a waiter
like an angel in the pageant
like a wheelchair
aware and responsible
of the weight I have come to know
your breath is the only real treasure
in me
as all possession
it cuts both ways
tight as I hold it
sometimes it pains me
I fear I ruined it
rendered it unusable
to you
so I am calling out to my friend
the redwood tree
and asking it to save
this breath that has made me
your keeper