A Dream Of Her Concern Poem by Lisa Zaran

I've lost my place
inside of this dream
where I am walking
along a dark road
across a dark yard
into the darkest shadow
of the house
where all the windows
are closed
weightless as midnight
the moon floating along
into the trees
up the mountain
down the other side
frozen cold
the tips of my fingers
numb
cutting through a field
trampling the grass
nettles scratching my palms
scratching the beaded
surface of sleep
following the course
of the river
then stepping in
lifting each heavy
foot, plunging
it back down like a stone
arms out for balance
heart beating wildly
God fostering movement
I step out of the river
under the brim
of a mesquite
suddenly transported
back to my own house
my own square yard
no longer a lost sleepwalker,
pulled from my dream
or perhaps it was her dream
I can not tell
my daughter, face full
of morning and concern,
pushes the door open
stumbles into the room
and crawls into bed with me.
In a voice soft
as ashes she whispers
mom, will you love me forever?
Even after you die?
And what if I die first? Even then?