dark is returning

remember ready palms placing wetness
in parched soil, watching thick beds of nutrients
swell in deep brown satisfaction 

remember dark waters that were
protection enough to shape shift a
dream into warm bundles of neurons

the black bottom of the ocean pooling
their richest morsels of dna,
interconnection like plump raindrops 
on prayerful cheeks knowing we
need them, to remember

the round face of your reflection was once
too burst open in blooming to make room
for anything less than absolute and
unconditional love of being you

remember resting the steady bend of your breathing
in a synchrony of revolution with the earth’s core

remember a deep space of imagination
unable to find limit in our or any
neighboring galaxy

do you remember an alternate dimension of
you in which nothing got in your way?

promise me something, no matter how often
harm rakes the tender caves of your trust

promise me you will not blame the tributaries
of your softness for the work of someone else’s
wound soaked hands 

promise me you will not blame the delicate
creation stashed beneath your skin for staying true