A prisoner
unjustly imprisoned, of course,
once said:
No good thing ever dies.*
I couldn’t understand then
so his wisdom only
made me cry.
Now,
here without you,
I do understand,
and
I think of you,
living and breathing
in an eternally peaceful
autumn afternoon –
squirrels playing all around
and a raven landing
in the plush ocean of rusted orange overhead.
You are there on the corner
in one of your eclectic homemade t-shirts
and plaid wool flat cap
waiting for me,
and I smile
seeing you alive,
and knowing we will talk again
soon…
…because no good thing ever dies.
*With gratitude for the characters and words created by Stephen King in The Shawshank Redemption.
Happy Birthday in Heaven, my friend!
Jessica L. Morris 