Word count: 201
Paragraphs: 10
When I see Neeli at the Number 12 bus stop, I almost take another route. I love him, but am afraid he will complain.
His health is a continuing challenge and he hates not being able to drive anymore.
He stands next to one of the big, red, iron chairs on Broadway. He wears his black beret and a white t-shirt with rainbow suspenders. It is cold and overcast. He leans into the wind.
He hunches his shoulders as he peers down the street. His eyes are not strong anymore. In his mind, what friends and heroes in poetry does he see who are gone?
Too many of my friends and heroes in poetry are passing on. They keep surprising me.
I cross the street.
We exchange greetings and he tells me how he is doing. At length.
But as the bus pulls up, he begins telling me about trying to meet Gary Snyder. He is transparent about his long ago self’s hopes and ambitions. The story unfolds as a series of hilarious deflations capped by the unexpected grace of acceptance.
As we speed across the city, we laugh and laugh.
Kristina Brown is a writer, painter, and poet.