Best at a Distance
Some say that friendship’s realm is nowhere but
Nostalgia. Love of man for man exists
In regions where the friend is absent, shut
Out, exiled, say, or better dead, subsists
On mourning, loss, and echoes. Because if
He is actually in the room with you and shares
Your breath, you might run the risk of a whiff
Of male underarm or see the dark hairs
Protruding from his nose. But of course
The major threat is that if he disagrees
With your pet dreams, he might attempt to force
You to accept the visions that he sees.
His second sight might overwhelm, dismay.
Also a friend has been known to betray.