You slept on the 3 hour drive home

I didn’t mind the midnight silence

Or the awkward rumble of the engine

The vibrations settled the dirt in our souls

Packed down the memories so we could make more

Like when our mothers used to put us in the car and drive

So that we could finally fall asleep

Sometimes

My mother placed a back massager underneath the mattress in my crib instead of driving

My body is practiced in the art of settling

Settle into this

So that your soul might fit into the smallest spaces

Like dust on a mantle

Or the sand underneath the sand

That holds up the sea floor

Settle into me

Settle into my passenger seat

The way you did when you were little

Know

That you always have a safe place there

While I drive a hundred

In the middle of the night

The roads are empty

And I am wide awake

Know

That one day we will be no stronger than breaths of air

And we will be dust in a box that those breaths can blow anywhere

And find rest in the smallest places

Know

That if you want to

You can always find rest here