Monday, November 29, 2010

Jennifer

On November 19, 2010 an old, dear friend friend of mine passed away. It's been hard to swallow. And it's taken me time to talk about it without breaking down with the overwhelming sadness. I was unable to go to the funeral because it was in Georgia and I just wasn't able to get the time off and what not.

Anyway, I wrote a poem for her on the day that I found out and I thought I should share it.

We Are Changed
(For Jennifer)

There is a quite place
In a forgotten patch of woods
Where an abandoned deer stand
Remembers two young girls.
One is light haired,
The other dark,
One is tall,
The other short.
They used to come nearly everyday,
The magic drew them
Down leaf strewn paths
And over tiny brooks
To this place
Where they could share their secrets.

Nearby there is a tiny island
Nestled between two streams.
Here they spoke of God,
Of Nature, and those things most sacred to them.
They imagined other worlds
Full of magic and happiness
Where they could escape to.
They spoke of their dreams.

As they grew older,
The two became young women
And they came less
To their Holy Ground.
They became consumed by the Present
And began to forget.
Little things tore at them
And time went swiftly by.
They drifted apart
The bond growing thin
Until it broke.

But always
There is something there,
An invisible, silken thread
Anchored deep within the heart.
For they were changed
For having known each other.
A piece of each resides in
The other's soul.

No matter where we go,
No matter the distance or the time
That separates us,
We are bound
Because we have known each other
And we are forever changed.

And one day
We will meet again
In that quite place
In the forgotten patch of woods
Where the abandoned deer stand
Remembers us
And all our secrets.

This poem can not even begin to encompass all that is and was Jennifer. She was quite but passionate. She loved deeply and was loved in return, whether she knew it or not. She inspired me and helped me to realize my dreams. I wish I had been able to tell her that.