walking with you

I like walking with you
talking about the plots of our books
and my grumbling knees
while the sun burns down on us
and we take in lava and snow
and avoid massive flies
(while we also avoid complaining
about massive flies)
and plan out which bebidas frias
we will request from Café Thomas
at the end
oh yes
there are so many things
I’ve liked today
but the most refreshing of all
is walking with
you three boys

someday probably all we’ll remember is how
we went up the side of that pointy volcano
in Chile one time –
that was a good day –
but for right now
while it’s all still fresh and textured
and I can see the horses on the trail
and the abandoned hut on the slope
and how I cut the switchbacks
and how you didn’t want to meet the Americans,
while I still know why it was a good day,
I’m going to put some of it down right here,
knowing we’ll likely never go back