Prague

I remember the tears trickling down her cheeks,
the receiver cradled her ear as she softly answered,
like a small child, what must have been
searing questions from the other end,
early in their relationship

I remember a visit when we drove in her Porsche
to meet him at a Mexican restaurant and
how she didn’t bother to
carry a purse

I remember her lady friends in their California
casual attire sipping wine and chatting about
obscure poets and gourmet delicacies and
how I knew I could hold my own in conversation
but didn’t really want to

I remember her glorious home, an acre of rooms
and only the two of them and how
she boasted about making him
visit his kids by himself

I remember all the kitty litters
lining a small room, changed as often
as diapers…
She had fourteen cats and
two dapper dogs; they all adored her

I remember sitting with a glass of wine
talking to her cats and enjoying the view
of the golf course beyond their back yard
in a posh, gated community

I remember the solace of just being
in that peaceful space, watering plants
and dusting sculptures and artifacts
from all over the world while they
were on a business trip/vacation
in Prague

I remember how she cried when
I said good-bye and said
she wished I could stay, but she understood
Then she enveloped me
in the fondest hug
and the warmth felt for my longtime friend
as I drove away

I don’t remember how long it’s been
since she stopped answering my letters
or the last time I wrote
I know that it’s been a decade or more
But even now, I wonder how she’s doing…

a memory from the Summer of 1991
RMK










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