I died last night
the plane’s nose
crashed headlong
into the runway
my last thought –
“wake up”
and I did

is this
the way it will feel
waking to
something more real?

a dream all along,
a song that merely fades
into something new
more true
or perhaps
a lack
of everything we’ve known –

our loves,
our memories,
our bones,
the places we have
felt most at home
that empty space
when we feel alone
the way a tree trunk feels
as alive as a horse’s neck
the coarse bark
the cool dark
sky
the stars so bright

we’ve collected these things
over time
I thought they were mine

fireflies in a jar –
but so far
I see they’re only borrowed
the sorrow here is
infinite
intimate
tangled with joy

in moments of rest,
I feel it best
death’s mystery sits
closer

close up,
she’s impossible to see

me
stripped away
from me
broken
and woken
from a dream

I died last night
but I did not scream
I held on tight
and somebody said

“wake up”