Calloused hands and bruised knuckles
rolled loose leaf tobacco in rice paper
The Sun loving me in the only way it knew how
with violent kisses leaving spots against my skin
Arms wrapped around me in autumn afternoons
words spoken with so much weight
they required delicate whispers
of promises made in the past humidity of summer
"Nothing can wreck our boat" said she

Dark pupils reflected a future I had never seen
with dark circles hiding bags
unpacked since days before
I asked you to show me how the light escapes
between the cracks and hairline fractures
without completing shattering in my hands
You told me of the anchors we dragged
and how they oftentimes created a path
only seen and understood when we look behind us
"Can you not see how far you have come" said she

Such rough and impenitent hands
were never made to hold something so frail
Fragmented pieces of what was once whole
made a mess of blood and regret
held in desperate outstretched palms
Abrasions left on the seafloor
from the places I have been
Seafood frothing at the hull
as the boat bored forward against currents
The wind loving me in the only way it knew how
with its quiet promises of ports yet discovered
"Lift the anchor" said she