He brushed my cheek one day
and said, “Let’s go to Alaska!”
We sailed to Alaska one summer
when the sun never slept.
But I slept close to him each night
in a tiny box on the ship.
The waves rocked and cradled
and my body moved with the waves
and with him.
We climbed a mountain
and found ourselves standing in a cloud.
“It’s alright. Just follow me."
We found shelter at the top.
We shared clean water and citrus
and he embraced me.
I never wanted to depart Alaska.
I had him to hold and know.
And I made peace with God.
His eyes looked different that day.
Determined and paler.
He knew more that day
than he had the day before.
Perhaps he had made peace with God, too.