I don’t know how you did it,
the letter didn’t say,
only that you died
peacefully in your sleep.
That’s always bothered me
if that drift between soul
and eternity was a simple flick
of time, a fence to cross.
But nevertheless you arrived
and left the tears at school
a special teacher, delighting
warranting counseling
for students unable to cope
a speech formal
a hestitation of promise
staring into the waves
looking for shapes.
Dave Barber
1 December 2008
