A step at a time

For Michèle

I.

We load the car with your grief and mine

Two suitcases and the guitar

Destination: far from here

Far from the loss, far from her fur, her smell, her unsustainable sad gaze

Far from her ashes, far from the agony of playing God by putting her to sleep

“Drive fast,” I plead

Let’s outpace the pain

I open the windows, let the sorrow fly out

II.

We arrive in Tuscany

Beauty restores the broken souls, consoles the dismayed

I take hold of the region’s distinctive palette

A colour at a time, we add life to your canvas and mine

We borrow gold from sunset vineyards

And add a brushstroke of olive green from the hanging fruit in the grove

We take a splash of blue from the swimming pool’s dancing waters

We play with the cherry red, the yellow lemon and the tangerine

The finished canvases delight us

III.

We abandon ourselves to the company of long-time friends, where we know we are safe