We all came,
one by one.
Each letting the snowy cold
kiss our hearts, filled with longing.
Each carrying a small purse of worries.
We came into the house,
and took off our boots.
Candlelight flickered,
each smiling, secretly,
hoping to find—
What?
Our way? Our sisters? Ourselves?
One by one,
we closed our eyes,
deciding to trust that still small voice inside,
and our soon to be sisters,
and leapt.
I see you, she said.
I see you, she said.
I see you.
The misty waters held us,
as the pine trees looked down,
ancient and knowing,
and we told our stories,
each unique, each universal
I see you, she said.
I see you, she said.
I see you.
The flames danced
against the black velvet sky.
Our spirits rose up,
together, like smoke,
and held hands.
We see you, we said.
We see you, we said.
We see you.
One by one, we each climbed up,
out of the dark waters,
enveloped in a veil of steam,
to find ourselves, our home.
I see me, she said.
I see me, she said.
I remember.
A strand of snowflakes,
each one a crystalline miracle,
catches the sunlight and glitters
like a string of stars.
Woven together, it forms
a brilliant blanket of light.
We see us, we said.
We remember.
—Diane Douiyssi
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