Janet Brice Parker
Vicki
Your gaze is weary now, but
your laughter still echoes
the merriment we shared
back in those sorority days.
We clinked our glasses
with spoons and sang,
Ring Ching Ching
Ring Ching Ching
Pi Beta Phi!
Lines on our faces
map out years
of shared history.
We joke about
the anecdote behind
Denny Chimes.
We relive
drunken frat parties.
But you ask
the same questions
repeatedly.
My sadness prompts me
to answer each time.
We don’t sing
our fraternal songs
or tap our glasses
in the restaurant.
Will you soon forget me?
We give each other
a long hug
and stand in the stillness
Of “goodbye”.