for John and Joe
Paint a mural of your love
bold
clever
indelible
Baptize your vision
in primeval pools and puddles
of pastels and primaries
Give it three dimensions
with inky wads of discarded phonebook pages
tattered shoestrings
and links of rusty coat hanger
Make it shimmer with gobs of glitter
and shards of broken mirror
like Saturn’s rings
celestial debris in harmonious order
Autograph your oeuvre
with each goodnight kiss
with homemade birthday cake candles
weeping wax
with juice from Saturdays of olallieberry-
picking and sparring elephant seals
holding hands on long drives
slow walks arm-in-arm
Vancouver Venice Vanuatu
Know that no one knows you
like him
Acknowledge and appreciate each meal
together
and chew thirty-two times
Share silences and pillow-talk
chattering teeth on chilly mornings
evening jogs and fever-bouts
savor each full-mouth kiss
Remember all the possibilities
When you are octogenarian
souls rocking
side by side
cheeks parked on macramé cushions
measure time in days of gardening
and moonrises
warm your fingers and palms
on shared recollections
of fine wines and ceremonial gatherings
May angels and ancestors guard you — lovers
May honesty and humor guide you — brothers
May kin and kindred spirits buoy you — cousins
May you both
be anchored in the present
refreshed by mild winds
the joyful passing of
this moment
and
the next
© B.Michael Hunter & John Manzon-Santos 1998
Written on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of cousins John (aka Spike) Lomibao and Joe Garrett. Below is a reproduction of the original printed and framed.
1998g-affirmations-for-johnjoe