And when we finally parted for air,
The world, the universe, everything
made sense. And then he smiled at me
and my heart melted. I smiled back.
It was Hecuba’s bark
that broke our gaze.
Thanatos laughed.
Then he took my hand.
‘Come inside. Styx and Pallas
and Charon are all waiting.’
There is, of course,
more to the story.
But that is a tale
For another time.
As of now, we must part.
You see, my family awaits me.
Epilogue
There are a thousand stories
about a wandering island.
Some will tell you how once
a Goddess named Leto gave birth
to twin Gods here.
How the sister who came first
helped her mother birth
her infant brother.
Some will tell you
how the herbs that grow here
are so divine that no mortal
is allowed on this island.
But only a few will tell you
