Gone Things

beneath a bridge
of trees
colors of youth
remnant of old ways
dirt roads drifting
between winding rain gullies

what if
I no longer
hear cardinals in the pines
or see chickadees at my old sill
an estrangement of emptiness
in a crimson hooded heart

courtship duets
strumming evening air
fireflies landing to illuminate
single blades of grass
if my memory fades
are you still here?

Take my Petoskey stones
to skip your ponds
or sacrifice
unto Vermont rivers
returning gone things
where gone things go