Talking Pictures

It’s where you greeted me
Jumping up and down
Waving your arms and laughing
Like a child.

 It’s where you insisted I sit

Right across from you
“Where we can talk”,
About Elvis, first cars, and
Mickey Mouse.

 It’s where you talked baseball

Like it was physical poetry, scrunching up
Your funny nose and swinging an invisible bat,
The bill of your Astros cap almost touching
My forehead.

 It’s where you insisted it was 1972, not ’74,

And where you laughed when you proved me wrong.
It was there, too, that your dad insisted Gladys gave
Elvis that blue velvet shirt,
And we proved it was Natalie.

 It was there you stole a bite of catfish, and spat

A mouthful of watermelon seeds, and
Blew bubbles in your Diet Coke.

 You almost spilled your ice cream

Down my back, and ate four plates of food,
And kicked me with your beaten-up boots,
And nodded appreciatively when I told you
My favorite year was 1976.

 It was there you whispered “Love you”

In my ear as we were leaving, and gave
My arm a squeeze as we went our separate ways.

 And it’s there now

That shards of glass are spewed,
That mounds of concrete lay cold,
That carpet is littered with bits of drywall
And leaves and twigs and dirt.

Mother Nature took my memory,
Swept it up, and left it
Somewhere else.

 I’ll never know what happened

To that giant violin.