Is it true you don't remember me —
That you have no recollection 
of all the dreams we shared
and how they died once
upon a time?

Did you not know that, when I found you 
and lost you here before I had
the chance to say,
"It was good to meet
you here my friend," 

How it was the words you wrote then
that saw me through it all.
They carry me still, as I
carry the story you have
forgotten or denied.

Before you restricted yourself 
to smaller seas, you, captain
of my heart, sailed on
through centuries, trying
to find your way home. 

Here I am, and there you are — freedom
in between, somewhere on the way.
The life, the love, the legacy
like sunken treasure buried
in the bay off the coast of Malta.

Or perhaps in Rome. Or somewhere
on the road to Vezelay. Or maybe 
just around the corner where
you stared right through me
as if I were a ghost. 

But I assure you I am flesh and blood, 
alive and well, save the memory
of all that never came to be. 
Take, eat this truth. Remember
bolt of lightning, 

Flash of insight, darkest night. 
Then, open your eyes. See
clearly now, face to face.
I will be your mirror 
along life's starry sea.