told Richie I’d meet him by the stream
as the lithium ate the last of him
it’s all I could say, whispering it in his ear
as his family cried around me
there’s no good lighting in a hospital room
the sun punctured its way in
bright and burning
nobody closed the shades
is it strange that the longest hugs
I’ve ever had were his family’s:
his mother, his sister, his other sister, his mother again:
the stories Rich told not letting go
Rich and I used to hug over the phone—
long silences we were both comfortable with
the hugs life gives you
when you learn to let it
Richie, you’re okay now, brother
I’ve got no metaphors for you
this is just another phone call
just another long pause between us
Artwork courtesy of our featured artist Ernest Williamson III, PhD
