“How will Ru ever get pizza from their
favorite neighborhood place out on the avenues?
It’s a two-person operation you know.  Who will stay with the car
Double parked, idling guiltily?”

They turn to look at me
A mouth turned down
Slightly at the corner.  A crease
Along the brow.  Eyes narrowed and piercing.

I want to whisper
“I have lost my inspiration in this shared battle
Ru has lost his lover, best friend, the other half of him.
He carried her upstairs to their marriage bed one last time
Held her as she sipped the last molecule of fog-tinged air.”

But the only words I have are about pizzas
And being alone