Layered Fragments, Becoming Whole

Cavern walls held their breath 
As sweat clings to cotton shirts,  
Breathing, 
limbs commit to the trek,  
tensing and releasing  
Silence pressed like draperies formed on ceilings,  
Unhurried 
Whites of eyes fall on a single light emitting from a lantern  
Flickering unsteady as we maneuver compressed space  
Pitch black,  
rough rocks scrape skin the length of our bodies  
a sliver before crushing, 
The air moist and heavy from racing heartbeats  
Choking on shared oxygen  
Until a small speck of light reflects,  
bobbing into view, a ghostly lantern, 
whispers, 
“I’m still here” 
Breath returns to a steady hum 
Solid rock fades into o-p-e-n low blue, black  
Bolivian sky 
My chin tilts up, feet planted into the flat red desert  
the gusting breeze releases my shirt  
Cooling then chilling my damp body,  
breathing 
 
If I stood on my toes, I could reach the stars  
Your eyes find mine  
shy smiles beam into each other
You wait, 
as I fall into step beside you 
Breath catching, body heat radiating  
Pulsing electric blue 
As our fingers slide into interweaving 
home
 
Lantern flickers out,  
extinguished.