i am home.

lapping, panting

this wave yearns for me,

comes

to me

layers of mirrors crash

on the shore

sun-kissed above,

churning below

glassy water kisses the air

just above the surface

kiss, after kiss

each wave

a lover's embrace

in this water -

i am home

/

open mouth breathes in

the humid and dank

afternoon air

that air that

envelops me sweetly

every time i ask it to

the galax blooms,

and i relish

in it's summer funk

in this smell -

i am home.

/

blooming mountain laurel splay open

their angled blooms

wrap 'round a nucleus

like me around you

we wait for the sky

to open up

we wait for the rain

to let go of itself

to deeply exhale

then sunrise brings soft eyes

and the world moves slowly

around it's malleable axis

in Appalachia -

i am home.