The Nineties Revisited

Oh, W, can you come back?
Never mind that I haven’t seen you

in twenty-one years, kissed you
in twenty-four. Can you bring back

the time before levothyroxine,
before root canal, before living under

authoritarianism? Can you bring back
my dad and yours, sharing old stories over

too much scotch and ice? Ditch the cane,
uncurl your fingers, spool back

the car crash. I’m guessing you still have
that glossy head of hair. Bring back 

your gorgeous life and mine—never 
to be merged, I’m afraid (too late for that), 

but for the humbler treats of coffee
and a talk. You may of course choose to

remain silent, but I’ve always been curious— 
how on earth could you have failed to gauge 

the depth of that love? Come back, will you? Can you?
We’re so young. A bright century is about to come in.