all these things...

i have walked so many
shores
swam in waters, crisp and even
and deep.
moved alongside mountains
sprung up out of this earth,
like wrinkles in
freshly laundered
sheets.

i have held the hands of
so many children.
weak,
strong,
distanced & wrong.
victims
of. us.

i have reached into the sun
and felt it's warm
belly.
i have lain my troubles down.
cast them out in a burial movement.
at sea. over valleys.
the corners of someone's mind.

i have moved
beyond past pain,
and nestled into my
present future.
shook out,
pressed up,
brought down,
by...
who?
by you.
and your memory,
emblazoned here in this place,
etched into my face.
into
my heart.

i have flown about the crests of waves.
and nestled into the dark
coldness
of
caves.
this here.
this earth is my home.

i have lived as much
as some could even hope
to.
the one thing gone from it all,
is you.

Jason Christopher Johnson