I am not yet in the country,
But I have seen beauty
In the skies above the sea,
Miles from the borders
That split the earth in two.

The meager plane window
Explodes in gold pigments,
Framed by oceans and jagged,
Deep charcoal clouds
Burnt by the sun's shadow:
An illusory eclipse so large
I mistook it for the Andes.

The plane's asleep
Except for the wide-eyed
And sleep-deprived
Like myself who impart on colors
The novelty of new perspective.

It is so beautiful I rock
My body and head and legs
And want to capture for
The one I loved and left
How I saw the same sun
Painted in startling beauty
That reminds me of her smile.

(Does she think of me
When she sees the sun
And cannot sleep?
Does she wish she could
Show me the wonders
Of her life like I do?)

For now I must alone
Clutch tightly this sight
As my haven while hurtling
Through waking skies
Towards and away
Love and home.

But I have seen beauty
That splits the earth in two.