I had a friend, lively, smart, quick with a smile

But he could be distant, gone at times for awhile

 

He was brilliant as any I knew when he tried

But his mother worried, and sometimes cried

 

Was he quiet, pensive or just tired today

Was he joyous, active and funny the other day

 

Go get him up, help him, get him going please

With prodding with challenge, and game’s tease

 

Then we are grown, and worlds apart, all new

Education, families, careers, calls become few

 

But who will fix him when in depths broken

Friends, family or others, with words spoken

 

Then a child battles sickness for years

In the fight, everything in, including tears

 

Death catches and brings tragedy unimaginable

How can any mortal overcome, inconsolable

 

I want to help to get him up and going again

But he is broken and unable to let go of pain

 

His world collapses into a smaller space

Unavailable always, friends cannot make a case

 

A rising star passes, and father’s smile doth end

I share the pain and sadly also lost a friend