stone's throw

i learned to measure distances between us
with fury. how a fist becomes 
a landmark. give me all the quartz
& i'll find the mirror where i am 
a butterfly-faced boy. my father told me
to go out into the forest & find a rock
worthy of his mouth. i searched for years.
found sea shells & squirrel skulls.
all the while he picked his teeth 
with wintergreen wood. i would day dream
of our reunion. his embrace like greeting 
a mountain. shoulders & shoulders & avalanche.