Tombstone

 


The dates stare back at me

From a screen

And timelines 

Align

Clearly revealing

The mosaic that previously

Was loosely connected 

Tiles


Your grief was so fresh

This fragile bomb

Deep in your chest

You keep mostly hidden

Safe


And I was expecting

The easy connection

And laughing eyes

From years before

Another layer to our growing

Friendship


I didn't understand

Why I was excluded

Why your eyes had “no trespass” 

Clearly posted

And I was kept at

Arms length


What had I done? 

Why didn't you trust me? 

But it wasn't me. 

It was this bomb. 

Bigger than both of us

A new landscape

You had just begun 

To navigate


But I persisted

And persisted

Tolerated

Grudgeingly

Tag-along

Friend? 

Maybe

If I insisted 


And now

I see the dates

On granite you visited

My eyes are opened

And empathy wells anew


I am glad

We persisted

Because these layers

Of years

Bind us stronger

Together

Friends

Family

Forever



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