And this is the last poem in the book and then the last one
that I'll read in this book.
You are still held captive here.
"Of all the things I have done, I'm
most proud of our relationship.
Of picking up the pieces, of investing in each other
again and again.
I am proud to trust you despite the pain of trusting
that lives in me every day.
In every way, I was raised to kill this.
The impulse to build and protect a place
where you and I can live as ourselves.
And not just live.
When I hear you on the phone, there's
always something else going on.
Something's happened that will change you or change me.
And it's not those moments but ourselves
that we share with each other.
Not out of necessity but abundance."
And now I'm going to hydrate.
Because I've discovered that while here
in this desert where I do not sweat, I just need water a lot.