Talking about old friends

I just returned from an out of town art fair where I meet up with old friends I have not seen for as much as a year and sometimes more. It can be a joyous time or one laden with heavy emotions.

I am of that age where there is seldom a meeting of old friends where the ones who are not there are not talked about. And unfortunately it has gone from juicy gossip to recounting of medical woes. Last weekend there was one of missing. The artist known as Rabbit had a stroke. And Chris was back after an absence. We were all happy to have her back and participating, and just a bit curious about how she was doing.

It occurred to me while we were all drinking coffee and catching up on various medical diagnoses that we seldom talk about everything directly but dance around it hence this poem.

Talking around

Let's talk all around it
She's doing good
What we mean
Is
She's not dead

Let us not say she had cancer
But
We are thrilled to have her back
She went away?
Or
We were afraid she would

He's not with us anymore
Gave up his membership?
Took the long trip
With no return booked
Or
Died

Why don't we say that?
Would we be hexed
Cursed
Whisper
Don't speak out loud
Sarcoma
Prostate
But no mention of Cancer

Whisper
Suicide
Stroke
Oh you know
The signs were always there

She's always been
Depressed
Had Issues
Magazines have issues
People have problems

Cerebral event
Parties are events
Now departed
Trains depart
People die
Why
Can't we just say
That
Or might it stick to us?

October 2007

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