He and his wife used to take us to baseball games -
Good seats on the first base line, already paid for.
We cheered home runs with them,
Shared popcorn, joked, talked family.
Time passed and there were gaps
Until I saw them just now in the drug store,
Hair and faces fading like old clothes
As he gripped my hand warmly
With a “heyyyy …”
And we wavered in that pause,
His hand letting go slowly,
His eyes roaming helplessly
Through the friendly wilderness of me.




revised