At the testing site
She was waiting in mask and gloves
for the next in line
in a trailer at the COVID testing site,
her rhinestone sandals not visible
but I knew her
by the soft curve of her shoulder
and called her name.
She said as she swabbed
the inside of my nose,
my eyes tearing up,
It’s a shame we can’t hug.
As we did when she came
to lift and wipe and wash
my husband in his prison body,
sometimes bringing her polite boy
who slept on the couch in his clothes.
