That’s my boyfriend! she tells us
“That’s my boyfriend!” she tells us
as the grey-haired man pushes himself
slowly backward. Using his feet.
The wheelchair moves more easily that way.
“I think the world of her,” he says
being careful not to move too quickly
lest he jar his neck brace. (She calls it a “halo.”)
Age amplifying his injuries
Her face, aged 91 years, beams as he says this
and suddenly looks exactly
as I imagine it did at age 18
Kind words will do that
Those kind in particular
Especially in this place