Spirit

We forget the mystery we come from— 

Sheets of quartz and jade where mountain
deities live, their fingers touching

globes of fruit as they pass to make

them sweeter. Forest spirits in the trees, 
conversing late into the night, sometimes

moved to show their faces to the living

as if to remind us they continue to miss
this life. And why would they not? 

Appetite is fed by desire, and desire

by knowing the potency of need. 
And so we let them be. We ask 

their leave when we cross into

the shimmering field— it’s just
there, seemingly out of reach but

really, closer than we think.