In the Interior

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This poem speaks to a lifelong journey with my oldest friend Robert. We have known each other for close to thirty years.

In the Interior

When you let me in your life,

all the way in, we took this walk

that turned into a hike that I didn’t

know we were on, until it got late, and

you said, “Let’s camp here and go on

in the morning.” That night I sensed

we were in the interior and knew it

was a privilege. The next day, birds

seemed to fly closer and streams

closed behind us and branches

dropped their needles to soften our

way. It was then I realized, the path

was part of you. When we got to the

ridge, the one you listen to eternity

from, we both started to cry. And to

think, one day we were strangers.

A Question to Walk With: Journal the story of the history of a friend, someone you have travelled to the interior with. After a week, tell this story to another friend.