Comparing Notes

40 years and we stand close,

Reaching for small pleasures

And hoping to stay in touch with

Values that might add sunshine.

I find his voice an octave higher

And like a road less traveled,

I best explore its contours

For the sounds are intriguing.

I had a settled image

Of my friend of 40 years,

But that vision is altered, as if in another dimension,

A more urgent voice commands my attention.

I stop at a restaurant table of strangers

And share the good news.

The zabaglione is remarkable,

To not taste such dessert is surely tragic.

My friend counsels restraint, but his concern is soft.

I abide, for the other dinners are now alert

And can make their own evaluations.

I smile as if something wonderful has happened.