Friends

Friends immobilize the breastplate
and make it difficult to walk down the stairs
without the aid of a long bow
or a stick device with solemn endings.
All sadness lobs the sting
until a dull ache is absurdly
present at the wrong occasion
and this is one of them.
Just as a lamp is all about light
so I am damp enough to swim in sheets
or stoop over a sandwich without
sobbing, more or less. I encourage
you, my once friends,
to bear witness to this day,
to lift arms and softly blow
a kiss to those friends
whose weaknesses end the day
as it began. Oh once friends,
you'll never know
how nice it was to have known you
or to really see you go.