we are part of the earth
we came from it and we will return

I know this because you once read to me from a book
and I found I liked it better
than the voice that reads to me
in my own head

I know this because the lines on your face
look just like roads viewed from above
the ones I try to trace from the safety
of my window seat

I know this because your dirty hair
reminds me of my teenage bedroom
with its window screen popped out each night
so I could see the stars

I know this because those same stars now live
in the space between your lips
when you’re breathing softly
relaxed and unaware of the galaxies you carry

I know this because I curl up against
your valleys of carved rock and smooth sand
with my ear against your chest
I can hear the ocean beating

we are part of the earth
we came from it and we will return

I know this because I can see its reflection
in every person that I’ve loved
and I am slowly learning
how to see it in myself