what separates
one life from another
an imaginary
line widening
moment by moment

Wisps of white hair stray from beneath her opaque headscarf as she mechanically lifts the soup-spoon to her mouth. She hardly responds to what the waiter is saying and seems upset. Her son, with his back to the snow-frosted window, asks in a raised voice: "Do you want something else?" She hunches over in silence. He refills his wineglass and leans back in the chair. In the background, the pianist repeats the theme. Caught off guard by her sudden eye contact, he sits up straight.

heirloom quilts
on the walls
home spun threads
and complex
geometric patterns