-for Mickey Hong

My life is a quilt of friendships
of which each patch had a special meaning.
Each little piece intones a story
of a different hue.
Polyrhythms of texture
enhance my life.

My kindergarten boyfriend,
a patch of blue courderoy;
My fifth grade friend,
Hot pink satin from a cha-cha dress;
My eighth grade teacher,
a swatch of yellow broadcloth.

A few special patches
that are the people who mean
the most to me in the world
Resonate their frequencies
from the center of the composition.

A large patch of heather gray wool,
my mother; my father,
a well-worn denim;
Marissa, a rayon floral.

But you are a plethora of pieces.
Your black spandex beats
a rhythm for my feet to dance to.
the blue chiffon bows the strings
of the violin of my heartaches.
Green jersey inspires me
to sing Emily Dickenson aloud.
But the red silk in the middle
Weaves a harmony to piece together
our two hearts.

You are the melodic theme
that builds up to the cacophony
of the rest of the voices
the sing in my quilt
of friendship.

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