Friendship

No longer

will loneliness

rise like the brackish tide

over the rocks

because the gods

have given you to me 

that our friendship

may burn to keep us warm 

in the nights of winter

and rival the starlight 

of the summer

now, when I dip my hands

into the pools 

at the edge of the river

the water is clear 

and clean again 

I know you don’t

believe in miracles

my friend

but it is still a miracle

I know you don’t

believe in the gods

but their fingerprints 

are all over the 

glass we’re sipping from

filled with equal parts 

triumph and exhilaration 

with a twist of astonishment 

so we don’t start taking 

their gifts for granted.