The surgeon of hand bones said
a constellation of time, pressure and genetics
caused the osteoarthritic pain
at the base of my thumbs.
He turned my palms skyward to trace
the path his incision would take.

You were always the moon to me
I would wait for the Jade Rabbit
to come out so you would too
because that was when our love was safest
cast away the complexity of colors
bathed only in blacks and grays

Star pink flowers caught in a downwards draft
Sweep by and tumble off the mountain path.
She treads surely and knows this route by heart.
Whereas you - you barely know where to start.