What They Tell The New Ones
they told him how
sunny it was
the day of the funeral
how they smoked Marlboros
on the back deck
about the half finished back deck
with potted silk flowers
her handiwork
like scrap books of
yellowing photos and
concert tickets
her wallpaper rolls
like matchbooks from exotic
dance halls she'd visited in her
youth
told him about
her clothes strewn
as if she were coming
back to them
to fold them or launder them
they told him about
how they played cards
and took walks
and waited to see what
happened next
whose card would arrive
or who would stop by proffering salad
or cold soda in cans
told him about the telephone ringing
as if she were on vacation
and might phone to say
...wish you were here
...it's sunny
...you'd love it
they told him
and he heard them
but he could not miss her
could not think her on vacation
in the Greek Isles or South Of Rome
or even in prison in Minnesota or Arizona
he could not think of her at all