Missing

Oh how light the night sky is   sister
where there are no clouds
Loons wail

I’m here   where are you
I’m over here

the moon hovers in the clear

It’s all just shades   sister
light blue   aqua   mad midnight
how much black or white
the way you butter your toast
our toes in bath water   the same

There were gorillas
near the creek   forbidden
and a cottage   Minerva
forbidden   too   but these secrets   sister
opened us full
lagoons   warm
fluid and sea spent
to play the categories

boys we love
names of cereal
brands of cigarettes
places we’d travel

The crawdads
wonder what became
of those girls
who plucked them
barehanded
from the waterfall   sister
I tell them nothing