joanne

she was a summer lover.
we shared a short romance.
i met her in a hallway...
as keys entered separate doors.
shared cocktails, eventually led to more.
there was an easiness of manner about her.
she was ethereal.
fine red hair, alabaster skin, a lithe, thin, body...
and full, red lips, which smiled broadly at me,
when i amused her.
she was slightly older than i.
she had a sister who no longer loved her husband.
we visited them, and blessed our good fortune.
one day, while driving to work,
joanne suffered a brain aneurysm.
she survived the crash,
but died in the hospital, the next day.
i didn't send flowers.
i never attended the wake, or funeral.
at the very least, i owed her,
a few, short minutes of my time.
to celebrate her memory...
that fine red hair,
that alabaster skin,
and especially, those full red lips,
which smiled at me,
when i amused her.