I never thought it would be you.
You tossed crumpled maps over your shoulder
waiting for me to unglue my
eyes from the steady
compass.
You leapt from stone to stone and branch
to branch while I tiptoed across
the rocks careful not to
slip.
You filled every hour with chance and opened
your arms to uncertainty while I held
mine close in case the breath ran
out.
You thought it could be me.
You helped me play in the morning
light without looking over my
shoulder for the darkening
sky.
You gently led me to mountainous cliffs
with views that almost made
me forget I could
fall.
You drank my worry like fresh water
instead of the bitter poison
I thought was my
burden.
You tossed the map and I can't find the compass
and it couldn't be you but there
in the middle of your
palm lies my
north.