Our Gardens

we discuss
death over the phone.
relationships.
the days gone by, the days ahead.
friends
for life.
what books are you reading,
she says.
what are you writing about
these days.
her kids are raised
with kids of their own now.
onto their second
marriages.
houses, cars and jobs.
we talk about the mistakes we've
made.
the trust and hearts
broken along the way.
there's little she doesn't
know about me,
or me about her.
she tells me about her
garden,
the school where she teaches.
the children, all the same
year after year.
we love each other, but
it's a different kind of love.
it's thick,
it's a rope, a bind, a love
of friendship.
pulled closer and tighter
by time.