It happened again a couple of days ago. I lost another old friend. I suppose I am of the age that I should expect these things. This may be true, but I damned sure can’t get used to it. Regardless, it stimulated the artist (as you may know, my art is poetry) in me, and I wrote this:

GOODBYE DEAR FRIEND

YOU ARE SITTING THERE DOING NOTHING AND THEN YOU GET A CALL
OR A FRIEND YOU SELDOM HEAR FROM SENDS AN E-MAIL THAT’S QUITE SMALL
YOU LISTEN OR READ IN DISBELIEF TO THE NEWS THAT IS ALWAYS BRIEF
ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS HAS PASSED AWAY AND THAT IS ALL

ANOTHER FRIEND IS GONE FOREVER AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO
YOU THINK OF THE LAST TIME YOU WERE TOGETHER JUST THEM AND YOU
YOU CAN SEE THEIR FACE, BUT YOU CAN’T REALLY PLACE THE PLACE
BUT WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE, YOU KNOW THEY ARE THROUGH

YOU THINK OF THEIR FAMILY AND HOW THEY MUST FEEL
IS THERE SOMETHING YOU SHOULD DO, SEND A CARD OR TAKE A MEAL
YOU KNOW THERE IS NO WAY TO CONSOLE THEIR FAMILY TODAY
YOU FEEL RATHER POWERLESS AND IT ALL SEEMS UNREAL

YOU REALIZE THE LOSS OF ANOTHER FRIEND AND WONDER HOW MANY
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME FROM DAYS GONE BY LIKE OLD WAYNE AND BENNIE
WHO WENT ABOUT A YEAR AGO TO JOIN THE OTHERS GONE BEFORE YOU KNOW
THE COUNT WAS RISING AS OLD FRIENDS WERE FALLING APLENTY

YOU SIT THERE ALONE AND PONDER THE PAST
YOU THINK OF THOSE GONE AND WONDER HOW LONG YOU WILL LAST
YOU WONDER WHY YOU ARE STILL HERE WHILE THOSE ARE GONE SO DEAR
AND YOU CONCLUDE THAT GOD’S WILL IS EVER STEADFAST

YOU REALIZE IT IS NOT FOR US TO WONDER WHY
GOD DECIDED WHEN WE ARE BORN AND HE DECIDES WHEN WE DIE
IN BETWEEN EACH DATE MANY THINGS IMPACT OUR FATE
AMONG THOSE ARE THE GOOD FRIENDS FOR WHICH WE SAY GOODBYE

THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT WE HAVE SUCH FRIENDS
AND IF THEY ARE WRONGED BY US WE SHOULD MAKE AMENDS
FOR FRIENDS ARE NOT SOMETHING WE USE TODAY AND THEN THROW AWAY
GOOD FRIENDS ARE WITH US UNTIL ONE LIFE ENDS

SO WHEN THAT TIME COMES AND COME IT WILL
WE THAT SURVIVE MUST CHERISH OUR FRIEND STILL
WE MUST CHERISH OUR TIME TOGETHER AND MEMORIES THAT LAST FOREVER
AND THANK GOD FOR THAT FRIEND WHOSE LIFE IS NOW STILL

POETRY BY DEAK, JUNE 5, 2017
Jim Roberts (Deak)