Circle of ancestors/those smiles/those hugs/those meals/laughter/truth/overflowing kindness/connecting over miles/when we departed/for the long trip home/across bridges/great divides/they would say/let the phone ring once/and we’ll know you’re home/safely home/listen/I heard it ring/

We didn’t care/that the sweltering asphalt/turned that air to wavy ribbons of light/they made us cool swimmers/lazing the days away/ fed and watered/we floated /under sky and cloud/canopies of trees/and we dreamed/dreams of parents who loved us desperately/behind gates and fences/and locked doors/we dreamed slow and simple dreams/those summers/in the Bronx backyard