humor on a thursday afternoon

[Doreen Peri]

"OH yeah i'll get better again
so i can be miserable as usual
after that", he said,

and i laughed

the chuckle
of a perched bird,
wings spread to fly
to his side, pride
set on unsettled dignity,

his voice dipping deep into humor,
laughing like dripping livers laugh,
hooked up to machinery, stating
without pause why he never married

"i'm sure you know why," he said
then when dead silence echoed
tears, he veered from the conclusion,
saying he would call me again on tuesday,
the echo of an aborted wednesday child
unfortunate as the breathing cancer.

our names were
one word.

i am dying with him,
remembering the unicorn book patty
gave us, unfortunate the distinction
between parallel visions, his slip-sliding
away like a terminal ill, mine continually
wishing, our nose cones pointing toward miracle
heals, the memories of another generation,
the what-should-have-been never having daylight,
me, the murderer, me the one who should have
been given the death sentence.

and so we laughed
and touched voices
as he emptied his bag,
complete with sticky-substance puke,

and me with my wine, drinking
until daylight, ready to cancel
trips to east and west shore
so i could sit by his side,
allow his escape, unhook the
metallic variously-clogged
hardware, dare the moment
by releasing it.

"Are you still a Red Sox fan?," he asked.

"No, I've never much liked sports but Go SOX!,"
I answered. "Who you got in the Superbowl?," always
being a conversation stopper.

"You remember the terms, right?," he asked.
"Off sides?," I said. "No, that's a different sport," he replied.
"RBI, maybe?," I asked. "Yes, now you're getting it. Could you
come bring me a hamburger at the door downstairs?
I'll tote my memories, be prepared.
Could you possibly figure out how to
unhook this crap? I'm tired. I love you.
Let's take a nap."

"I'll let you go now
You let me go before.
I'll see you soon when
the world isn't at war."

And so we hung up,
dust to dust, just as abrupt
as what didn't occur.
She never found him.
He didn't find her.

Be it death or a breath of impossible chance.
My God, when we danced, we could dance!
I led, he followed. Now he's leading
and soon I'll go too. Hate to be so
matter-of-fact. Nothing much is new.

[joel]

our names were
one word.

"I'll let you go now
You let me go before.
I'll see you soon when
the world isn't at war."

And so we hung up,
dust to dust, just as abrupt
as what didn't occur.
She never found him.
He didn't find her.

Be it death or a breath of impossible chance.
My God, when we danced, we could dance!
I led, he followed. Now he's leading
and soon I'll go too. Hate to be so
matter-of-fact. Nothing much is new.

wow. this is beautiful and graceful, beauty-filled and grace-filled...and vulnerable and bold and wonderful. ...and something to haunt my sleeping now....