Jeanne and Janice
a person would scarcely
take them for sisters
till one of them answers
the other one's phone
with the other one's voice
says Janice "our kids we can usually fool
for a sentence or two"

Both of them funny, smart
recently widowed
able to live
despite obvious differences
of style and belief
in apparent harmony
sharing a house
here in town

And now they've adopted me
call me their brother
although my Carroll
was first to meet them
we're learning each other's
stories of marriage
children and grandchildren
friends and careers
the places
where we've spent
the years of our lives

In a season of wildfires
political chaos
we find ourselves clinging
to one another
liberals floating about in a sea
of Republican no-nothings
who clearly don't care
that their president is a serial liar
a pompous demagogue
who if he could
would throw our democracy
under the bus

They tell me they love
the music I play
on the nyckelharpa
the button accordion
songs with guitar
with the renaissance lute
in a time when public
performance is out
this has proven a gift
for my audience-starved soul

And Jeanne
(whose name rhymes with queenie)
loves poetry
lent me her book
of Odes by Neruda
listens attentively
when I read my latest
though we both know
that I'm no Neruda
and that's putting it mildly

The biggest and best
of the reasons I love them
is that they truly
take in my Carroll
her spirit, her depth
the warmth of her humor
her lively intelligence
generous nature
for me this is more
than enough to endear
these two sisters
who now are my sisters
forever
and for that I'm learning
to open my heart
yet again