Half a world away
The veil of night fades into a pale gray dawn
And electronic news that it is done:
You have crossed the bridge of light.

A circling pigeon tests the morning air and
Recalls a vision from the depths of slumber
Enfolded in the mystery of a time and place beyond my ken.

Golden hair and satin gown unfurls
As the wind fills your wings and lifts you free,
Ascending along the arc of a dream
Into the infinite blue and the light beyond.

As you soared out of sight
You gifted the wind a reminder of your silent ascent,
A single white feather that floats to the ground
Reminding me to trust the immensity of the sky
And the rush of wind that urges me to spread my wings
To their fullest span and spiral up into amaranthine heavens
In the unbounded joy of flight.

- In memory of Zaneta Matkowska