Eight hundred miles

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).