Girlfriends

The last time I saw her,
She wore a cap and a gown and a smile,
And she hugged me tight
And said, “Can you believe it?
We’re free!”

And I hugged her back,
Not answering, because I knew
If I opened my mouth, the sob in my voice
Would break and betray my fool’s hope.

And I breathed in the tangerine scent of her hair –
It was as close as I could get
To running my fingers through her shredded silk.

I held her as close as I could,
Because as soon as I released her,
I knew she’d grab some other friend,
Hug her tightly and exclaim,
“Can you believe it? We’re free!”

I wanted just to hold her like that
As long as I could,
Because maybe, if I did, I could stop time,
Or at least find the moment in which
I could explain how and in what way
She was special to me.

But she turned away, disappeared into the crowd,
Laughing, grinning ear to ear –
Enchanting, in that way only she knew how to be.
And I got swept up in another hug
And another exclamation,
Blaming my tears on the occasion and not the girl.