Richard

the way he says
cha-kras
the way he said
my mother had other lovers
when I was conceived
the way he said,
"Read Samuel Menashe;
he uses as few words
as necessary."
the way he drove to Cleveland
to visit me by way of the Adirondack's
the way I refused to see him
when he showed up
at the psychiatric hospital
the way we weave
our lives around
our stories around
our fractured
understanding
the way his e-mails
leave a dent in me
now that mine
are no longer
returned