Her face
her slender torso
on the laptop screen
no longer young
but now she seemed
a child again
smiling and somewhat frail
after her surgery
she'd come down
below a hundred pounds
she said
was staying on in Taiwan
with her family while she
regained her strength
her older brother
cooking meals
is he an ok cook
I asked
she laughed and said no
not at all
I felt a surge of love
I hadn't felt for her
in years
not since our falling out
over some silly business deal
now with her illness
both of us seemed ready
to move on or rather
to go back
before our friendship went awry
nothing like brushing up against
life's transience to melt
the frozen waters of our hearts

in the past we'd had a falling out
but now I sensed we both
were feeling something good
and true about our friendship