In the woods, we

made peace. A day spent

together, a 10-mile hike. Stop to gaze:

a herd of deer, in a glade—30, 40, 50? The path

washed out by flooding, stuck in the mud, and laughing.

The sun kept time overhead: counting out

chatter, dreams, secrets, laughter, plans.

I remember how you could tell me

the most uncomfortable things

about yourself

in a comfortable way. I remember

how I felt blessed

by such closeness, intertwined souls alike. As the daylight faded,

our trek ended, as we left the woods,

for honking cars and beeping phones. In the woods,

I am with you still, intertwined, twin trees, reaching

toward the heavens

for what light

can be touched.

I wrote this draft as part of National Poetry Writing Month. I hope to collect these works for a mixed media/writing piece I am working on entitled Love Letters to My Brother in Prison.