Ghost Elephants by Jean Valentine

In the elephant field 
tall green ghost elephants 

with your cargo of summer leaves 

at night I heard you breathing at the window 

Don't you ever think I'm not crying 

since you're away from me 

Don't ever think I went free 

At first the goodbye had a lilt to it— 

maybe just a couple of months— 

but it was a beheading. 

Ghost elephant, 

reach down, 

cross me over—