For John

For John

A chance meeting…
Simple friends
Whose paths would cross
At various bends.
A broken leg…
A new address…
A pressure valve
To release the stress.

Seasons passed
And months went by.
We sailed along
My friend and I.
And months turned into
Now three years.
We shared jokes
And dreams,
And sometimes fears.

I lost my girls
And he was there;
A refreshing breeze
Whether stormy or fair.
A shoulder offered
When things got tough.
We thought that that
Would be enough.

A chance friendship,
It grew and formed
And held on tight
When trouble stormed…
A tender voice
A pleasant sigh,
And we grew closer,
My friend and I.

Then somehow –
Neither quite was sure
How these two paths
At once converge.
But passion soared
Where once had been
The simple comfort
Of “just friends.”

We knew not how,
Nor cared just why
Love gave us wings
That let us fly.
And made our heartbeats
Skip and dance
Because once,
Long ago,
We’d met by chance.

The autumn leaves
Were changing,
But to our hearts
It was yet spring.
And nothing could keep
Our souls from dancing,
Or make our hearts
Not sing.

Two single lives
Now intertwined…
Who could have known
They’d soon unwind?

We blindly rushed in,
And hoped and dreamed,
Surprised it had turned out this way.
And all at once
The world caved in
When he heard the doctor say,

“I’m sorry,
But the news is bad.
We cannot beat this thing.
And neither chemo nor radiation
Will let you live ‘til spring.”

In two short weeks
My love was gone,
Taken by the cold.

His breathing slowed,
His blue eyes closed,
Then stopped, his heart of gold.

And on that mountain,
Beneath blue skies,
Not just my love,
But my heart now lies.

A chance meeting,
Forever friends
Whose fire burned briefly
At the end.


Liz
Denver, Colorado
17 July 2000