Ought For

Whenever there’s an earthquake
I think of you.
Remember
back in aught four
when we got caught on that hike
in the hills
and the ground opened up
swallowing leaves all around us?

That’s what goes through my head
when the ground begins to shake.
The world begins to quake
and I think about where we were
and how we handled it
and what happened next.

And I don’t know if you think the same
if the occasion was as rife with significance for you
if you’re even still in earthquake lands
or if you’ve found yourself in some safer climate.
Maybe you don’t know from Richter anymore
you certainly know nothing of me
but
when the floor gets unsettled
as it does occasionally
I remember those times
and become unsettled too.