he started to pretend with me too
a handshake delivered
as if his eyes had never met
the irises of mine

how many people had I ever seen him shake hands with? did he know
one well enough to feign a smile

he made me think of smiles
as masks. I tried to smile
and then I could not

the allure of numbness hung
close to me. I felt in presence of a lost
sincerity or that of an absent friend. I waved
while he sat in his car
with his child and his wife
And so I sent my wishes
for his good fortune asking

that they too multiply with every rotation
of car’s wheels
that the child be fed
that the roof be sturdy
that love bind well the frame of the automobile on the highway on their way home