A miraculous day.
Look at what they’ve built—
a home, a family, a life
and remember this day
this feeling, the smell of the air
the sound of crying—
a small boulder is rolling
into a snowball from home,
the north country
where their roots are
family and history
lakes that are glassy black with
loons calling in the night,
winters that are long and white,
pine needles, maple syrup,
Queen Ann’s Lace, Black-eyed Susans,
Daylilies, trees that are evergreen
and love that is everlasting—
the sun is warm here
across the country
in San Diego, California
a place that I only know because of them—
a place that I dream about because of them.