she called me
asked me to come over
said she didn’t want to be alone

she never called anymore

the last time
she said was the last time
but she was always prone
to hyperbole
i always told her
she was the best at it
but the joke
never seemed to stick

i got dressed
drove over
with a bottle of wine
and
expected the worst

she had been crying
her eyes were puffy
her cheeks were red
she apologized
for being a mess
i just smiled
said she looked great

she laughed a little
then started to cry
i put my arms around her
waited it out

it is cancer
she said
when she could say anything
i suddenly wished
she had not said anything at all

it is cancer
in my breasts
they offered chemo
but i don’t know

it is that
or they cut them off
a
ma
sect
omy

she said it slowly
as if the word was poison
if said too fast

i opened the wine
she drank with gusto

i let her cry

what do i do
she asked a slur
to her voice

whatever it takes
was my only reply

but i will be hideous
she wailed

nah
you’ll be just as pretty
as you are right now
i said
looking right into her eyes

she cried more at that

i took her to the doctor
sat
held her hand

they tried chemo
it didn’t work

she scheduled the
ma
sect
omy

but never made it
to her appointment

the last time i saw her
was the last time
i saw her

it isn’t hyperbole
to say
she was the strongest woman
i knew
though she would most likely say
i was exaggerating

and i would laugh
because
she never did get that joke
but now
it is not as funny

my friend died today
and i want to laugh
because she always said
i was ugly when i cry
but she always said that
because she loved me
if a friend can’t call you ugly
when you tell them
they are pretty
it wasn’t a good friendship
was her excuse

you were always
one of the prettiest women
i ever did see

love
ugly old me