In Case of Emergency, Call Me
I’ll always answer you
Remember that summer day in Paris when it was so cold
We went jet-lagged shopping to find you warmer clothes,
Hands clasped tight against foreign city of beautiful words
Surrounded by languages we didn’t speak, but found our way
To helpful ones wanting to practice elementary words on us,
Smiling grateful at our thrilled tolerance of mispronounced
Guiding us to best place for sweater you wore for years until
It yielded to old age in tangles of cotton combustion.
When rude earth shook our New England roots, I called
And you answered my fear with washing machine memories.
Once we were laughing, I said goodbye and went back to work
Distracted by texts, news updates, assurance this was nothing
Compared to what one friend knew in Mexico and another lived
In northern California, all is well even when you know it is not
As long as there is someone for you to call who will answer
With memories of who you have been and are today regardless
