I thought about you today
A maelstrom of lonely
Stirred beneath my bones
And I remembered that
most
Of my life was lived
near the river
So maybe the river is
My companion
I thought about the day
Emily and I walked
Along the waterfront
Still December,
When I lost you.
Sheets of frozen ice
Crashing into themselves
Sounds of broken glass
Made me think about
The moment your tumor
Burst.
And did it make a sound.
The river of sick inside you.
Blistering masses of the Penobscot
Raging against themselves
I thought about your eyes,
Like autumn bonfires
And wished the river
Would carry them to
Me.
By Anthony Emerson
Anthony Emerson lives and writes at the edge of the North Maine Woods. His poetry has been published by Visitant, and his essay on his relationship to Katahdin is forthcoming in the Winter issue of Appalachia Journal.