Funeral for a Friend

You come to bid a friend farewell

Heavy-soled shoes echo on cold stones in a crowded yet empty hallway
Muffled voices whisper between heads hung low
A eulogy drifts by
Thoughts meander off into the distance

Familiar faces from the past distraught with anguish
A sphere void of color
Focus drawn to flowers adorning the vessel housing an empty shell

Tears roll down your face
Salt entering the corners of your mouth
Hunger churns the stomach though it lacks not sustenance
Swallowing slowly, repeatedly keeping down a bitter taste

Arms quiver, legs twitch
A burden lifts recognizing a suffering has ceased

Sorrow swells up inside
Grasping it is your own loss you grieve

Faint smell of roses virtually unnoticed
Cold damp air fills lungs
Inhaling through clenched teeth that chill as it flows past
Briefly, the moment held within your chest
A sigh ebbs out slowly, quietly through your nose

Questions of past interactions flash by
Feelings of having been robbed brought on by memories of happy times

A baby’s cry triggers the subconscious realization that life goes on

Turning to leave behind your friend,
You discover his spirit, not gone, but alive within you

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