Friday Night Affair
        " ... it's no wonder we pay to sit in the movie theatre so fear can jolt us and make our bodies lighter . . . "
        —Christopher Kennedy, "No Wonder"

When the lights dim, I think again
of my father, how now, even in dreams,
he moves away from me, sliding behind
a wooden shutter, or always two steps ahead
on a worn path. I forget more than I remember,
unable to recall the shape of his wristwatch,
the size of his shoes, the precise curvature
of his swimmer's shoulders. I know that illness
weights the body even if the eyes
gaze skyward, that death tastes of salt,
heavy and cold. But I know, too,
that longing can lighten this load. Love
narrows the field of view so I can see
only what I want to see. When I slip
my hand into yours, I am weightless.

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Copyright © 2017 Christine Kitano All rights reserved
from Sky Country
BOA Editions
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission