The Empty Apartment or, Missing a Friend
There’s just a stillness.
Nothing moves.
It’s all a two-dimensional photograph . . .
The glistening coffee pot, the groceries in their plastics, the open computer, waiting.
Waiting for their owner to touch them,
for their owner to bring warmth and life,
for their three-dimensional existence . . .
The only sound: a plaintive, faraway meow.
But the meow only underlines the silence with its mournful
“I miss you” quickly followed by
“Where are you?” and,
“Come home.”
In memory of Eva Jarvis: July 7, 1948 to November 14, 2022
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Dr. Diane Cypkin is a Professor Emeritus at Pace University who won the Kenan and Russet Awards for teaching, and the Jefferson, and President’s Award for service. Her academic work garnered her membership in the Pace Society of Fellows. This poem, however, written in the midst of difficult days, is a reflection of how much she misses a dear friend, a true role model when it comes to fighting for your life!
