Tether in the Tempest

And somehow

just when the

squall begins

to swell

my tether

tightens

my anchor

appears

no warning

no announcement

just tires on gravel

a quiet intrusion

into the ordinary air

like the world

decided to be gentle

for once

he says

I just felt like I needed to come

no map

no reason

just the pull

and I don’t ask him

to explain miracles

inside

the house is too small

for what rises in me

when he hugs me

I fold

like weather giving way

and I don’t mean softly

I mean finally

I didn’t know

how heavy I was

until something

held without asking

so I don’t know how to say this to you

except plainly

you showed up

two hours of road

and something wordless

and I’m still here

trying to understand

what it means

to be held like that

Early Morning After a Storm at Sea (after 1900), Winslow Homer