Now, in another city ...

Now, in another city,

my friend’s funeral begins.

I remember to take my medication.

(This friend advised me to get certain dangerous symptoms checked, which led to the medication which keeps me safer. His own, different condition was not curable.)

*********

Afternoon, and in a city I used to know

the memorial is happening now

for another friend who died – this one 

suddenly, without my goodbye.

Now there is no-one left in my life

of that group of poets I met

in strange circumstances, once

upon a time, in a different reality.

Note: 

I met both these friends many years ago when they were in prison and I conducted poetry workshops there. They had long and good lives since. They did not know each other in life, being in different parts of the prison, released in different years, and afterwards living in different cities – but it happened that they died within a month of each other. They are the only two from that time whom I remained in contact with.