He was young 
when we met 
a dopey kid 
wanting a life 
what about yours
I kept asking 
what about mine 
I’m getting there
getting where exactly 
and rather than 
getting shouldn’t you 
be going instead 
getting isn’t going 
getting is lazy
whereas going is 
how you become 
the young man 
wishing to be 

Once there was 
a younger guy
who had questions 
about a life 
what does this 
what does that 
why why why
I answered honestly 
that doesn’t matter 
none of it
what does though 
what you want 
is what does 
not why never 
why why why

Maybe it’s you 
said as I
play with your 
brown bed hair 
as the night 
stretches longer still
maybe it’s you 
who I was
meant to meet 
for some reason 
other than this 
or even that 
I don’t know 
all I know 
is that this 
this just is
making me think 
maybe it’s you 

Life is fragile 
feelings maybe not 
let’s slow down 
having raced downhill 
and crawled up 
on toboggan or 
sled or canoe 
life is meant 
to be more 
than just one 
more hill to 
climb one more 
thing to have 
one more love 
to find and 
then eventually lose 
this thing that 
we all live 
and love living 
is delightfully delicate 

I’m excited maybe 
nervous maybe other 
things too maybe 
I’m just that
a whole lotta 
maybe odd right 
before I was
certain and confident 
but now you’ve 
become that one 
little bird who 
lands and picks 
up my twigs 
to build your 
nest somewhere else 
forgetting that I 
was the tree
upon which you 
hatched and even 
learned to fly