from bed i smile to see
two complete handprints
low
on a wall of glass,
an invisible companion kneeling
at the altar of treetop and sky

outside,
watering in crisp daylight,
wrapped in scented shawl of flowering ginger,
a pair of steller’s jays hops close,
the depth of my thirst mirrored by theirs

wildness rattled,
within drought, by human flood.
the growing challenge
to regain elements vital
to thrive