lines that bind
or tie together our shared histories
meander like the
mighty Mississippi
intricate web—emit the life
of our times,
flow organically as tree branches
etch a map upon our brows, cheeks …
visual reminders to all of our
legacies of love and loss
leathery, withered old palimpsest
replete with gorges, folds
seemingly endless
a proud hieroglyph
timeless.