I was baptized at her virginal font
And decided to drop into church
To see how things had changed.

She is dour and older now, but so are we all
And when she saw me she blanched;
Time is unkindest through our eyes than it is
The mirror, and the reflection in the glass
Is botoxed in our minds to show a being
Who is seldom if ever there.

I stirred up memories, if not feelings;
There were no embraces, no shouted
Cries. No surprise. It was as if she
Expected I’d drop in one of these days
And she had set aside stale crumpets
We could enjoy with oolong tea.

I said I’d moved on to stronger stuff
And she just smiled. “Drinks or women?”
She said laconically, and I laughed out loud.
But between bites, I thought it was
Most likely both. Being the perfect guest,
Though, I kept my mouth filled with
Pastries and did not say.

I wondered after her taste in men;
Thinking, of course, none could be
Better than her first but in no
Hurry for her to compose an essay
That began “Compare and contrast.”

And while we talked about climate change
And the Republican takeover of the Senate
And the crazy world in general, I got the sense
I was not the only one in the room who
Was pondering Fate and wondering
If Frost had it right about two roads diverging
And the one less taken and all that other stuff

But I’m pretty sure that afterwards, when I
Was back on the “D” train, I wasn’t the only one
Scratching off another minor item
On my bucket list.

11/12/2014

Posted on 11/12/2014
Copyright © 2025 Ken Harnisch