Wishing Stars

Love,
when I am no longer body
and you have watched
what is left of my flesh
slip through your fingers

scatter my ashes into your morning
tea and remember the sweetness
on the heat of your tongue,

remember the words
that last longer than a lifetime
dedicated to the muse
of joy that laughed
at our pleasure
in the silence
of our breathing
at the edges of lips
and tender skin,

remember the treasures
no one but those truly awake
to each other
find in the depths, the thirsty wells
of a lover’s eyes.

When the frost comes
bury the earth of my red hair
with the daffodils and tulip bulbs
so that I might bloom
in golden and purple healing,

or if you can’t bear to part
as the light is leaving the skies for winter,
offer me in spring
to the roots of pumpkins and tomatoes
who will gladly take my cells
and rebuild them
into the candlelight
we loved to savor
in the music of evening.

If all else fails
and your courage is gone,
walk into the enormous love
of the sea
with my remains clutched
nearest to your heart
so that I might hear the waves
beating there one last time
before we sink into the depths
together to wait
for our next lives

shining in the truth
of the brightest
wishing stars.