Surrounded by friends
A welcoming hug lingers
Filled with what ifs
Uncomfortable for some
Warmly welcomed by others
Conversations fueled by
Wine, beer, and martinis
The comfort of acceptance
Non-judgmental reception
Imagining what’s not said
Some thoughts you can read
Others arise unbidden tongue-tied
Accidental truth shared
Sheltered by laughter
We retell our practiced stories
Not noticing the kind
I’ve-heard-it-before looks
Oh to hear the late night summaries
The evenings score card
We sway from oh so silly to
Pugnacious
We may have crossed lines
We never saw and wouldn’t have cared
If we did

I want to be beached
With you
Days on end
Nothing to do
Not caring about melanoma or wrinkles
Lost is the idea that this is all there is
Frozen without further body deterioration
Dressed for dinner
Undressed by desert
It’s all over to soon
Your dead forever
What is there besides *** and shopping?

Still defining/Myself/By your absence/I forget/That when we were together/You/Were already gone/