our tender oldest fragility

whom I could not convince that

thunder is just a data point

and not a danger when I am

running in the desert mountain rain

without her

while she sat fetal in a blanket against

the wet windows pretending

to watch tv

folded in blue static light

that blanket waits

and she is off to her own mountain and

we are proud wet eyed pretending

that her last hugs were only data points

and not reading the sky for signs