Photo by Taylor Sporleder
The ocean between us has me remembering the first time I was out of the country on your birthday, also the Caribbean. You sent me away with poetry.
But I’m more excited to see what the closing lines of your 20’s will be like. You’ve always been good at ending a poem that seemed to be saying so many things, with a line that conveys it was really only about one very important thing. Maybe 29 isn’t normally the most memorable year for people, but I know you. I know your philosophy on finales. I know that you would say the beginning is only good if the ending is tac-sharp, intended, and arresting. And it’s not because you’ve planned it. You’ll feel your way there. You’ll stumble on it as you’re walking on no discernible path and listening to the twigs and leaves crunch under your feet. And hopefully I’m getting better at being less terrified of that. This decade has proven that the best endings always seem to find their way into your poetry.
So here’s to the long walk that led you up to this year, and to the last stanza of your twenties that will find you in the year to come.
Happy Birthday from Belize, Evan