by Ernie McCray
We, Maria, my heart,
and Lillia, her bosom buddy,
and I,
just returned from Cuernavaca
where we visited
Josefina Sosa Catalan,
a longtime friend.
What a time we had
from the time we got there
until the very end.
On the plane ride home
I relived,
in my thoughts,
how radiant and graceful Josefina is,
how her eyes brightened
from the sight of us
as she greeted us
at the bus station
at the end of our ride
from Mexico City
and I reminisced
how she seems to be in harmony
with what beauty
there is in humanity,
how she embraced
her grown daughters lovingly
as though they were still
little girls in their infancy,
how she listened, in a state of serenity,
as we described life
in an autocracy,
how she,
for a week,
took us away from that reality
like a lifeguard
rescuing drowning swimmers
from a stormy sea,
escorting us to Tepoztlan,
a mountain town filled with charm
and an atmosphere
bordering on spirituality,
driving us along crowded streets
to restaurants
featuring the most delicious meals
anyone could ever eat,
one where peacocks strayed
and music played
and poetry
rode the breezes in the air
and, while there,
the governor
of the state,
who happened to be dining there,
greeted us with a smile
that warmed our hearts
and we were taken to museums and beautiful parks.
Oh, I still see Josefina
in my mind’s eye:
ever so stylish,
and full of humor
and kindness,
a beautiful woman overflowing
with passion
and empathy
and authenticity,
a loving human being
who shows the kind of caring
for the wellbeing of others
that a doctor,
which she is,
should exhibit
in the world
as a way of being.
And was she ever a much-needed reprieve
from the lunacy
that’s overtaken our beloved country,
invigorating me with a fresh burst of energy
to continue taking the madness on
now that I’m back home.
Muchas gracias, Chula!
