just when you think

just when you thought you finally knew roy
he leaves town without a word

you find out from a buddy
that he’s in boise working
working like he never worked around here
living in a yurt by the river and
cooking catfish over an open fire
it’s great in the summer he says
but you know better

he never said goodbye
he just left all of a sudden

so all the filaments that bound us
tear and twist in the sudden distance
throbbing in the jetstream

we’re in kind of a limbo now
stretched out beyond our limbs
on the rack
somewhere between
here and boise where
neither of us actually live
……but

because it was
so hasty
so sudden
so goddam quick
limbo became the only place
we share
a silent space
but not quite empty
who knew limbo
hurt like this, roy?

remember that photo?
at 6 feet under on memorial drive
you sitting on the upstairs patio
looking over oakland cemetery

we drank and laughed and talked
about what happened in april
about what it meant
we talked about these filaments
and what binds us together

it took a while before we both agreed
the waitress took our picture
we split the check
and everything was all tied up