For Alyssa and Chris

It was not always so:

The voyage out to this sun-saturated clime

Was fraught with trepidations.

The tide ebbed

The moon hid her pallid face in the clouds

And the sun fled down the far horizon.

Other ports proved unseemly

And so you weighed anchor,

Piled on more sail and

Set out across the trackless deep,

Coming at last to a fortuitous meeting

On high swelling seas,

Gliding on in concert,

Coming at last to this safe haven.

And too, we, pendant in the rigging, cheer you on,

You who have braved much to come to this stasis,

This tranquil harbor resting beneath the starriest of skies,

And this recumbent evening as you

Anchor in each other

We rejoice. We rejoice.