Iris

you came into my life
suddenly,
like a blue iris
falling into my eyes
out of nowhere

there was something about you -
your glowing face,
your dimpled smile,
and those two pools
of lived wisdom

looking at me
from their uncharted depths,
as if to say -
"you'll know too,
in your own time...."

yes, you carried the sorrows
of your world and ours,
blades piercing the folds
of your heart,
that knew only kindness

you dreamed of a world without war,
you spoke of the art
of using our hearts
to walk this world
we can never call our own

I loved the way you were -
the way you walked with solitude,
and melted your own anger
with your quiet smile,
and how you held that cigarette
between fingers
always in touch with life,

yes, I loved the depth of your voice,
the dark folds of your gut
from where it rose
and flowed,
the stillness and grace
that enveloped you and me,
in every posture you took,

today, I remember you
for your warmth and your firmness,
the moments we didn't see eye to eye,
for all that I could see and feel,
and all that lay hidden
beneath the pores of your skin,
the things I will never come to know,

and I will keep what was real for me,
tucked in the folds of my heart -
our two boys laughing and playing,
our few, deep conversations,
the string of beads I sent you,
that you wear here,
the last Christmas present I posted,

pictures of you and your boy,
smiling with the Nepal sun,
your dream for this world, now also mine,
and that dream for your boy
that you spoke of so often -
to make him a home
where he can live truly free.

dear Iris, you live on
in those dreams we share,
in the things left unsaid,
unfinished,
and in the black pools
of your eyes
that you've left behind.