DEAR

by ACE CHU

Two horses
lean in the field 
clasped against each other as if in prayer,
grooming each other’s manes the way
my thumb strokes the back of my thumb.  

Together, tall, conductive
around them, fenced lightning, 
above, a promise of more rain to come,
the force of faith condensing, cumulative— 

A wave tries to return to the river what it has been given, futile.  

Two swans, only ever as far apart as palms, a wingspan, 
float by shore, sucking up silt, throats rippling,
taking in something as vast as the sea in small sips.

 If, on cold nights, 
before bed, 
I pray for something as simple as the warmth of my hands—