AM visit, Oct/Nov '23

[deponti]

She arrives,
Pulling two suitcases
Behind her small frame.
Her schedule is packed
Things to do, things to buy.
Friends to meet, and travel too.
I try to fit myself into the cracks
Between the various parts
Of her busy days.
I worry about her health.
And realize I cannot do much.
Just go with her
To medical appointments and scans.
Give her a hug now and then.
She whirls through the days
Like a spun top.
I spin, too, trying to keep up.
I walk into her room
Early in the morning.
I get a sleepy greeting
And a loving hug.
"Happy birthday!" I say
And then hang around
While she twirls in and out
Transacting various things.
I look at her luggage when she's gone
For lunch with her friends.
I look forward to chaat
In the evening, with her.
She's not even staying with me,
But in the place she used to call home,
Where a beloved aunt now lives.
Soon, the tornado will pass.
She will be gone, and I will be left
With memories of her visit,
And the several questions about her life
That I forgot to ask.
Life will go back to WhatsApp calls
And the odd messages.
Half a world will separate us...
But our hearts will still be close.
The emotional umbilicus
Will stretch from Here...to There.