The ratio of tributes to handshakes
tipped earlier than we’d imagined
At times we say remind me
and the list of what happened
is the list of all we loved
the lake the lake the river
a Ford truck
on gravel or mud
on open road with deer
or wild turkey with Wild Turkey
the lying frozen lake
the rip-currented outlet to the lake
When it’s Oxy or tar we say sickness
and talk about times we drank with them
at bonfires by the lake
or flying down dirt roads in the back of a pick-up
What we don’t say is we could all be here
every one
Jessica L. Walsh is the author of two poetry collections, most recently The List of Last Tries, as well as two chapbooks. Her poetry can be found in Tinderbox, RHINO, Stirring, and elsewhere. She teaches at a community college outside of Chicago, where she lives with her family.