In eighth grade my best friend passed away.
He isn't gone, of course. I have him here
With me, within my heart, as I do always.
How beautiful that people are so dear
To one another! For all my life I'll love him.
Only one small part of us dies. The rest
Lives on in others. We are music within
Music. Nor do we ever hear the best
Of us, which sings in other hearts, a chorus
Of angels! However much I miss him, he sings
Here now, my friend, in me, to you, for us,
As we still breathe in the beauty that he brings.
Love lives forever passed along, and we
All are blessed to live, to love, to be.
Copyright by Nicholas Gordon. Free for personal or non-commercial use.