“Especially in the Late Afternoon”
by Jason Shinder (1955- )
The warm air makes us
different
from the way
we are.
We go deep
in the long grasses and ferns
at the edge
of an open field.
Is it knowing
what to do
with the long-stemmed lilac
that counts?
It’s dark.
Or it will be.
Some trees perfectly still,
which only this morning
thrashed about
in a storm.
Your hand
has found mine.
Have we ever arrived
in the arms of someone
who wasn’t lost
from the start?
-from Among Women