This thought comforts those who have shallow roots
or roots that are tortuous, jagged and sharp.
But sometimes, you don’t get to choose the friend –
he or she selects you in a way that surprises,
and sometimes hurts.
You don’t have a choice, it’s not always warm and cosy,
not always ideal.
But life isn’t like that – tidily arranged
with signs that point you in the direction best-suited.
So grab hold of your friend, the one who has elbowed
his or her way into your life.
And never let go.
*****
This week, we write about friendship, in honour of a poet who left us too soon, Dave King.
I didn’t have the joy of ‘meeting’ him unfortunately, but his poems and blog are there for us to visit, which I certainly will. You can read and discover many more thoughts on friendship right here.
I stand and stare at you in the moments after you stop living; there are no more words to say to you, under my breath. I can no longer pretend or hope or believe or pray that you can hear me, that you can smile somewhere deep inside at the sound of my voice, and be glad that I’m with you at the end. I resent you for it; for not saying goodbye, for cutting free so unilaterally.
*****
So, for me, an unsurprising choice this week, when we are invited to write about the difficult or spicy subjects that we tend to swerve, given half the chance. Death yet again is my theme. The death of my dad. Today in particular has been pretty bad. There’s no rhyme, no reason for it. That’s grief, I guess. Tomorrow will be different, I know.
You can read and discover many more slices of life right here.