Though we caught up in an offhand way
Mediated by social media
And I suppose we were never great friends
But I was affected to hear you'd passed
And I thought about us in our chemistry class,
Secretly retrofitting Erlenmeyer flasks
For pursuit of a less appropriate chemistry
And I remembered our talks by the window
When you shared advice in a brotherly way,
Half-smiling and glinting when you spoke
As if you were daring a contradiction,
Rough and pointed and comfortingly sure
Like one of your beat-up boots.
And I looked up to you, how couldn't I,
Tall as you are, or were.
They'll have to go custom-made to fit
You inside one of those cushioned boxes,
And I know you've left your family
But they'll pray for you, and so will I,
I'll pray that your journey from death to life
Goes quickly, because I can't imagine
You stuck in the dark for long. When
We meet again to catch up, bye and bye,
I hope you'll save me a seat by a window.
