Diagnosis

Before you looked away…

it was like an earthquake

(or the rising of a shit demon)

cascades of questions, fears, hopes, and plain chaos

everyone came when they could,

gave what they had

thank goodness nobody stopped moving

some are always on their way back

I can still feel the touch of your elbow

just when I needed it

forgive me for not realizing you weren't going to be here

forever, or even ever again?

how could we know?

but even though your head is turned in a different direction now,

your care flows because already always was here

just when you first smiled, called, embraced.

my elbow will never forget that I was touched,

that you were touched,

and that you reached out

before you looked away.

April 2026