circles

passing through circles

of weddings and aging and death

i can’t tell where this one ends and

this one begins.

i see my son, my baby

reaching out to his lovely one

and grasping a hand that is not mine

and i decide that i love her too.

i see my mother

reaching out to memory

and grasping things from long ago

and i decide that she’s wiser than me.

i see my brother

reaching out to god

and grasping for something beyond this world

and i decide to someday ask the way

and follow.

these circles cross paths

in ways i cannot comprehend.

i reach out for something less dizzying

and grasp for something more linear

then decide to walk the intersections

as best I can.