Poetry: I recall.
The adults believe that
it is for the good-
that we must go to distant lands
to gain a better future.
For now, I can only remember
the laughs we shared,
steaming mugs of instant
coffee staining dirty-white
plastic surfaces, and
promises shared over abandoned
fire exits. I still remember
the last day we were allowed
to catch a glimpse of each other-
I crossed fast concrete for
the first time in my life
to get to the dusty green
cement of your apartment
and got there too late, a woman
in white was cleaning the place:
she told me you had already gone.
I vividly recall still the
time when we were sent
to the principal’s office
because we insisted that
the store clerk and school guard
were having an affair;
and it still echoes in my head:
the kind words you would say
every conversation, when you
would laugh and cry simultaneously
while talking to me about
your father and his latest
woman. For now, I can only
be left to ponder, if your
hair is still as long as before,
if your irises are still that deep-brown,
and how you look now, chatting
with friends on the phone until
late-night, or drifting into
dreams while nodding into
papers of philosophy.
(For Katherine)
I recall.
January 21st, 2008 at 5:52 am
Thank you.