“I’m sorry…” she begins
Trailing off down the path of
Self recrimination
“There’s no sorry.” I tell her
It’s about the dishes maybe
It’s about expectations I don’t have
That she fears I might
It’s how the past gnaws her legs
Inhibiting movement
We are way beyond sorry
I wash the dishes
It’s a gift not a chore
So small I barely notice
I vacuum and mop the floor
Wipe down the baseboards
Clean the doors
She’s sorry and she’s not sorry
She thinks I think she ought to do
Different
It takes time to rewrite the story
We are way beyond sorry
There’s no judgment when I’m cleaning
There’s celebration
What to give the person who has everything
But time
Who gives to others without holding back
Who creates space, and opportunity
Supports, and lends a hand
It’s only temporary
This life
This moment
This situation in situ
The history is long and tangled
The friendship well established
She says “Thank you,”
Without an apology this time
Reacquainted
We are beyond sorry
No regrets
I survey the next room
And pick up the cloth
It’s not enough, but it’s something
She found a way to leave me afternoon Chai
I detail cleaned the coffee grinder
She gave me a beautiful bowl and a wooden elephant
I vacuumed the cobwebs from the corners of each room
I am sorry and not sorry
We are beyond it
Way beyond sorry
Full of gratitude for chosen family
I say “Thank you”
Without apology this time
