I learned of your death today,

a chance encounter in my email,
mixed in between the horoscopes and headlines
with the unobtrusive and understated subject
'Sad News.'

It was warm and raining outside,
exactly the opposite of how I felt.

I could not grasp it, even as
I stared blankly at the pictures of you in my albums;
in each one you are wearing a huge smile,
your trademark.
A part of me knew I'd never see that smile again,
but still I couldn't cry.

Hours later,
on a bus traveling under clear and colored skies,
I looked up and saw the clouds painted in the setting sun's palette,
and it was so vast
and beautiful
and eternal.

I thought of you again, gone,
but out there somewhere
in all of that beauty
and finally I began to cry.

11/29/2004

Author's Note: For Michael Joseph Conte, 11-28-1983 to 11-28-2004. Rest in peace, you are already missed. Revised slightly May 2007.

Posted on 11/30/2004
Copyright © 2025 Amanda J Cobb