It’s the same
with almost
everyone—
the tea with honey,
a plate of snacks,
bowl of cough drops,
deep chair in
their favorite color.
All of this is set up before,
so as they sit and sink
I can encourage;
more, more, say more
about that.

When they get up,
into a room decorated with
framed memories,
they rarely notice that
a thread has caught in
the chair.
As they leave, I keep it, usually
placing the end in a box,
but sometimes
taking it out
to wrap around my finger
and reassure myself that
I could pull if I wanted, unravel
their sweaters and stories
and leave them standing with
nothing on. But,
I rarely do that. Mostly,
it is enough
just to have
the option.