revisited II

The Widower’s Portrait

We should have learned to skate, then,
I think. Her eyes seem tired, but still she looks at me and says
she feels okay despite her pain. And
though I know the photo made her sad,
seeing us so young had made her face brighten.
We are too young for where we are now,
looking at photos in which
our bodies were still filled with life and she was
untouched by the weakening of
age. We were two kids once, before we were
lovers, spouses, parents.
Why hadn’t we learned to skate, as
the winter turned the dam to ice so
all the other kids would play?
We were too serious, serious with
all that hadn’t happened yet.
Now we’re waiting for a cancer to come and take everything,
forgetting all we haven’t had yet. She says
“We’ve had so much,” but, We
 are so close to losing it all, I think.
illness has come to claim her, and we—
she has been my whole life.
She has been my whole life.
Illness has come to claim her and we
are so close to losing it all. I think,
We’ve had so much. “But we’re
forgetting all we haven’t had yet,” she says
now. “We’re waiting for a cancer to come and take everything
that hasn’t happened yet.”
We were too serious, serious when
all the other kids would play.
The winter turned the dam to ice, so
why hadn’t we learned to skate, as
 lovers, spouses, parents?
Age? We were two kids once. Before, we were
untouched by the weakening of
our bodies. We were still filled with life and she was
looking at photos in which
we were too young for where we are now.
Seeing us so young had made her face brighten,
though I know the photo made her sad.
She feels okay, despite her pain, and
I think her eyes seem tired, but still she looks at me and says,
“We should have learned to skate, then.”