Hey man,
been a little while since we last talked.
It’s about time we changed that.

I got to thinking about you after seeing a tree
toppled in the recent storms.
In the crashing, it struck
the branches of another tree nearby
ripping them off,
a tragic scene
of death and hurting

and I couldn’t help wondering
how the scene would be different 
if the trunks stood closer together.

You and I are not trees
but our arms can still break.

You and I are not trees
but we can make it back to our feet,
made much easier
when someone can break our fall.

I’m reminded of an old work buddy
I randomly ran into after
many years.
He was shattering under the weight of divorce
but I never texted him again.

A year ago
you and I got together
shooting pool and shooting the shit.
I was able to call a shot
because of the way
two balls were touching.
I wrote a poem about it later
called “Touchin’ Balls.”

To this day, we still
occasionally hit each other up with
Hey. Let’s touch balls soon.

Then we meet somewhere 
and talk about life, relationships,
problems,
pain.

It works because we stay close enough
to lean on each other.

There’s no hope for a fallen tree.

But a fallen man
supported by another?
He will one day grow his leaves again.

So
I hope you’re doing well
with all of your whatevers.
I’ve got a couple stories
you’ll enjoy listening to.
It won’t be a needing-to-lean conversation
but it’s good to stay close.

Just in case.

Let’s touch balls soon.