In the Middle Distance, by Greta Bolger

Two Women at Table, by Richard Diebenkorn (USA). 1963.

In the Middle Distance
                               
We dress as if for a funeral
of a distant acquaintance, hats 
 
and all. Anyone can see we are sisters,
fair, forties, features a two-way mirror. 
 
All the way up there on the subway,
I tell myself this will be the time
 
when we will laugh like girls, silly
over wine and cake, touch hands,
 
share secrets only those who have slept
in the same childhood bed can know. 
 
But no. You show me the unscarred side 
of your face, hide your eyes, speak in riddles, 
 
drink black coffee. No sugar. No cream.

Greta Bolger

Greta Bolger is a writer and visual artist retired and living the dream in NW lower Michigan. Her previous work has appeared in several print and online publications, including Electica, typishly, The Chimaera, Third Coast, Literary Bohemian, Snakeskin and others.  She volunteers with art organizations and international efforts to support women and girls in the developing world.