WATERMARK

 

because of how wind

bends trees in the courtyard

 

because chickadees and nuthatches

break seeds on the branches

 

because our brains

change what we see

 

because we are pattern-

making creatures

 

because sleep is elusive

and dreams opaque

 

because the cat purrs

on my shoulder

 

because memory is a trickster,

a coyote, a raven

 

because the moon is full

then a crescent, then gone

 

because absence cannot be seen,

it’s slippery, like water, like light

 

because light makes patterns

of branches on the ceiling

 

because i wake in the night

calling your name