Half-Life

Half Life

our hands stretch out across the sea
between us
only reaching half-way into the fear and
the darkness
who could know when and how
the contours of the earth might shift
taking us down a few feet
throwing us down where
we are now in the muck of our souls
the one soul
taking us down
to examine half-heartedly the words the
last words
so many empty decaying words
that only survive half their meaning
now
we wish we could know or do
what is truly required
to see through the many arms of fate
waving invisibly as they
obscure half the sky on any given day
what shall we do
we are in this together
not just half of us
the half that drills down to the
tender heart at the center
of it all but also the other terrified
half that lives in every heart
dragged before the mirror of
this world
vigilantly protecting itself from
the claws of a jaguar night
the half-darkness of what cannot be shared
there is no other way but to wrap
ourselves around these holy messengers
not half way but fully touching
the countless fingers reaching this way
they are still soft they are
still warm
they are still our
children mothers blood kin of all time
sighing
I spoke to you unkindly
the other day I want to make it
right if you
will give me half a chance