Saturday, November 22, 2025

empty friend

try not to touch
this narrow secret
where turning informer

I learn the limits
of contagious history
the cold, lucid account

that decides if you
are calling for someone 
or just... crying  for them 
_____________________
Pic: Max and Huck eye the treat jar and contemplate ringing the bell for service.

2 comments:

Nance said...

Oooh, I love the tone of this poem and how it changes so dramatically in the last stanza. The ellipsis works so hard in the last line, and it does its job well.

What great word choice, too: narrow, contagious, cold, lucid--so precise and so great in this piece.

I like the idea being explored here. "Contagious history" is a great metaphor for gossip, isn't it?

Life of a Doctor's Wife said...

I am sitting here thinking about all the differences between calling for someone and crying for them, and loving that you have illuminated this important nuance. Great photo.

some noes

I would have been miserable as a lawyer. I had to do lawyer-like things today in my role as a CASA and also in my role as a Title IX advisor...