Katrina Brown, May 2014

Reunion

Countless, the years,
to arrive at this cliff,
weathered, like your face;
steadfast against the breakers,
unyielding to the tides.

Once, I was the albatross,
poised for flight,
needing the wide Pacific sky.

You were the toe toe,
rooted in the rocks,
content with the Coastal breeze.

Now, here we stand;
a pair of aged sycamore,
feet planted a safe distant apart,
as memories fall like helicopter seeds,
by the rivers of our youth.

Stone hands in our pockets,
we brace against the wind,
and blink back salty tears,
of impossibilities.

-Katrina A. Brown <kbtaiwan@gmail.com>

*toe toe is NZ’s tallest native grass.  It grows up to 3m in height, and is firm and strong.