99 beautiful moments: a study

as the road forks

we emerge unscathed, if a little ruffled
the year drones into long hot days

gratitude shows up at just the right moment,
late at night, drinking whiskey alone.

now all that I have has been divided
some years discarded, some given away

in the echoing undulations of time
each triumph opens onto a vista

cultivating grace in rocky terrains
I am humbled by my gentler kin