for Maxine Rael Zayas

‍That she could give herself to it
so completely, that she was present
to the goodness of it, whatever it was.

That the sunlight kept shouting
‍yes, & the wind. That she
was laughing & clapping

& holding her friend's arm.
That we were witnessing it. That she
was alive in the trust of it,

the red & white of it, the twirl
& stomp of it, that we were all
in the twirl, the stomp,

the singing & shouting. That the sky,
whatever it was, was making itself
blue, the trees an impossible green,

that we had gathered for this
twirling & stomping & clapping.
That it would end

& go on forever, too. Whatever
we mean by end. Whatever we mean
by forever. The sun, the sky,

the twirling & laughing,
the night waiting
at the edge of the forest

with its satchel of stars, its pale moon.

‍