The day you were not there
I came to visit
A grey, damp morning you missed
My undisclosed arrival
Lunch was as usual at noon
You did not show
I asked how you were
You did not answer
Peevishly I left the cafe
Waiting for your angry replies
We both should be here
Yet absence is the message
We deliver regularly
Always to the wrong address
If the body is a battleground
Were we generals or privates?
You learn from despair as it ages
Most from youth when it’s past
What you wanted
I wanted
Is now out of reach
I’m still expecting you
When will you not come?