We talk
drink wine
joke

sometimes
uproariously
& in
truth

they look
so much
like our friends

the way
their eyes
light up
at the sight of us.

Look, the
low sun agrees,
moving over
their faces this
evening

as the lamps
come on around
the neighbor-
hood

& we
share with them
our stories
& our
plans.

It’s as if they’ve
known us now
forever, as
if we grew up

in this uncanny
valley, where all
our lives they’ve
loved us all
our lives.

Black Sea Black Sea