Anam Cara

Landing lightly, she came as a revelation, a benediction,
enfolded in the rich ginger and auburn of her Monarch wings.
A mystery whose color I cannot clearly disclose or discern,

reminding me of a near friend, whose most intimate looks and gestures
are a language unto her own, one we share in wonder-filled moments
together. Uncovering veiled places, which can never be denied,

as time releases a newness that cannot easily be named
or found in all the known colors of this earth. In the Monarch’s
flight, she binds us together softly

upon wings that barely touch, so delicate in appearance
and beauty they simply break open our own hearts revealing
their truest majesty. We have learned to be brave together,

fearless in spirit, in a garden held independent of time.
She takes my breath, folding it into her own with the
brightness of her being.

And of us together, giving us breath, as we dwell in
one another, as one body in one motion. In the
delicate flow of the Monarch’s wings,

in her softness, her gentleness, as she
opens to me. Is not each star a witness to this
unity? I love the color and shape of her eyes,

and how they capture mine, and how I see a reflection
of her always in me, waiting like spring, when the milkweed
blossom opens itself as a mystery to the first Monarch.