When

I guzzle Gatorade after a good workout

rain drops smear the dirt on my windshield

cell phone vibrates, 745 area code

someone from back home

Hi, this is John (Ball State1970)

I took his class on violence

he was still ABD, we became friends

he asks how have I been – I say great

he says he misses me and

when am I coming to visit

I say I’m sorry, I did not make it last year

he says he has a rare form of arthritis

his wife has bought a small house near

the nursing home he is confined in

he says he misses me and

when am I coming to visit

he says the prognosis is not good

he says I am one of his oldest friends

he says he misses me and

when am I coming to visit

I say sometime after winter

he says the prognosis is not good

he says he misses me and

when am I coming to visit

he says he loves me

this is not a word I heard as a child

I don’t know how to respond

he says he loves me

I don’t know how to respond

he says he misses me and

when am I coming to visit

he says he loves me

I don’t know how to respond

he says he misses me and

when am I coming to visit

he says he loves me

I don’t know how to respond

1-13-24

for Dr. John Barber, Ball State University