In one version of forever
Snow melts off my boots in the foyer
And my hair defrosts while
I towel muddy water off the floor
And head to the fireplace in the living room
Wrapped in a quilt and socks
After a hot shower
It is dark outside
But there is a glow in my heart
In this version, I’ve returned North
Choosing the seasons over the sunshine
Learning to love the winter
In its brutality and in its beauty
I grew up cradled in the darkest months
Could I grow old in them too?
In one version of forever
My mother teaches me to sail
The sunfish on the harbor waves
Shows me what it means
To love the wind and water
Shows me how to bend my body
With every coming about
When I right an upturned boat at last
My muscles ache and
My smile breaks as wide as the bay
I am strong and when I teach my daughter
She becomes strong too
Sailing across the lake in the
Warmth of summertime
My mother shining in her eyes
In one version of forever
Flowers grow in a garden
A rainbow of species and color
Grown from my hands in the earth
And dirt staining my knees
I grow lilies of the valley
For my grandmother
There are fresh flowers in my home
Fresh grass in my senes
As I lie down in the yard
At the beginning of spring
The water down the road
The wind fresh from the cold
And me, someone who’s learned
To breathe and love flowers
In what version of forever
Do I know that I am not a child of the winter
Or a child of the sea
Or a child of the garden
I am summer-born and summer-grown
I stand on the shoreline
Feet in the sand, waves at my ankles
In what version of forever
Am I the child who flew south
And longing for the sweetness of June in the north
Comes home for all the seasons
Who digs herself roots that soak up the sun
And warm her all year
In what version of forever
Do I change
In what version of forever
Do I realize
I already have