A broken side mirror
puts the present behind her
en route
to eight hundred miles of goodbye
to a kingdom of gentle palms
lifting all wings
to the sun
to a bookmark at each laugh
or quarrels too
buried
between the seas
to the eyes of truth
cornered
yet undefeated
to an open book
of missing letters
of pressing riddles
with each mission unfulfilled
to a wound
that irons a dream
onto a legacy
to a love
to a memory
to a catastrophe.
5/12/2022 at Carrboro NC
In memory of my beloved mentor, Dr. Emmanuelle Tognoli (1974~2022).