Adieu
by Christine Wenk-Harrison


First the letter, then the call
serious news—health crises
miles away.

Just a sixty-minute chat
to summarize a bond of
forty years.

A friend’s message lingers in my phone…
Your last email hides in my inbox…

I wish to release you gently,
like a child’s boat set free in a pond,

But “delete” is such a harsh word;
and a week, so little time.







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