Glimpse to Marlene, September 2011

by David Filer

The slough is finally
calm, and in the last
light, the palisades

are doubled, white mist
dissipating twice.
I was afraid for

us then, the silence,
the unanswered calls,
the tide’s slow rise to

its fullness, knowing
how brief it would be.
How far away is

too far, how many
miles, how many hours
are too many to

get back here on time,
before this rising
moment has passed? Yet,

we’ve done it before —
years — and you’ve always
been safe. So, still

well worth the long wait,
well worth the gamble
of staying at home.