As if a friend you used to see a lot

but haven't, lately, stops you on the street,

and right away you note the baseball cap,

the skeleton that has begun to peek

through facial features, and you hear about

the son or daughter in from out of town,

the chemo up in Shreveport twice a week,

how hard it is to keep a milkshake down,

The City Care Forgot (and then recalled)

comes into focus from your moving car,

familiar houses with their doors kicked in

and death tolls sprayed beneath blue FEMA tarps,

and though the specialists must have their say,

you see yourself it could go either way.