The reciprocity of friendship

it's got to be 50/50 or something close
choke cherries in exchange for half a loaf of Moxie
I'll pick up the phone if you do.
love has to be two ways, a kiss for a kiss
I told her this many years ago that I don't do
friends with ghosts, those who don't show up.
she got it
I get it
my friends have to get it.
and now it's so much easier because we don't have to drive anywhere
it's as simple as setting up a Zoom meeting or the phone
or a quick text, no contact needed
preferably not.

Sur la neige

sur la neige
je suis seule

my friends are only six feet away
we can talk across the yard
or across the snow

the virus hangs in the air
for a moment, then drifts off
the snowfield

I'm scattered
the world is upside down
so I stand in the snow
alone.
at a distance.