Amidst the green of the campus,
Rolling hills and red brick halls,
With our sly winks and impish
grins,
Our bond reached beyond those
walls.
I had a friend who was a dreamer;
A soul imbued with the light of
life.
He left this world far too
abruptly -
In his wake beset shadows of
internal strife.
Sometimes I wondered at what I had
missed,
Or what I could have done,
Tried to bargain with the
irreversible,
Ran screaming towards the
darkness,
Or hurled violent curses at the
blazing sun -
But then I was halted in my
footsteps,
To recognize these histrionics were
untoward.
My friend was never one for
dwelling on the past;
He would have wanted me to move
forward.
Many years prior...
Pending the admissions test for
seventh grade,
And while administrators expressed
their rules in sum,
We met, as he broke the droning
list of don'ts and nevers,
By passing me a forbidden stick
of Juicy Fruit gum.
From the very first day we ever met
One truth endured the entire
while,
My friend never seemed to find a
greater joy
Than when he evoked another's
smile.
When my steak is cooked just
perfect,
Or I'm goofing off beneath the
stars,
When I am making myself
productive,
Or just driving around in cars,
With every slice of hot and cheesy
pizza,
And every rockin' note I hear
With every memory tinged new experience
I feel my friend is near.
Through so many experiences
together,
And so many stories that we
shared.
I know that I am not the only one
Who felt the warmth of how much
he cared.
A presence in every room he
entered,
A bridge between every divide,
He taught us to drop our petty
differences
And revel in being alive.
Though he was every bit a human
being
He was also more than that you
see;
He lived as an example
Of the best that we can be.
He walked among us, a boon of
hopeful flame;
A bounding breath of oxygen, stoking
our fire,
Colliding in a relentless
positron of positivity -
He could self-generate the energy
to inspire...
He was a strong foster of
community
Bold enough to overcome the rife,
With a royal heart as grand as
everlasting love,
He charmed we celebrants, touched
by his life.
A great friendship is eternal
Even after that friend has passed,
So I take his light into my
thoughts
Where I know he will forever
last.
Ode to you my friend,
I miss you, though you are with
me.
