'I am one of those people who let's life wash over me'
An old classmate said that to me after rehearsal
At the Playhouse in the early 60s
We were sitting in the stalls in the half dark
The thick padded old seats squeaked as we breathed
I think I may gone along just to chat her up
I had no interest in the play at all
Just noticed her name on the billboard
& on impulse went in looking for her
So long ago now I don't even remember her name
What she said that afternoon has kept floating
around in my head, popping up periodically
an enduring echo from the past
dissolved into a backlog of peculiar memories
her face, the smell & shape of her young body
her fine repertoire of gestures & smiles are gone
perhaps she was wise beyond her years
sometimes I wonder if she memorized that line
& loved to swirl it around in her mouth
that day I just happened to be around to catch it
that day I got more than I bargained for
