For JB (Written on the 520 on-ramp, rush hour 9/15/06)

You throw the ball
I catch it
And throw it back

I am amazed
I used to think
You were the perfect girl with the perfect life
19 years later I find the truth is much deeper than that

I throw the ball
You catch it
And throw it back

You have your wounds
Yet you are solid
You say, “You can talk about Desert Stream. I want to hear about it.”

You throw the ball
I catch it
And throw it back

You carve an opening in my wall of pain with a pocketknife
I am healed
I can only hope to be an anchor for you as well

I throw the ball, it arcs in a spiral
You catch it
And throw it back

It never drops