I remember a girl with dark silky hair
Long, wild and untamed grew;
It liked to play with the autumn breeze,
dancing in time with the falling leaves.
Like a ray of light caught in a crystal’s eye;
Her virginal heart, plumb with youth,
Was a shining source of beauty and truth.

You came softly
When my days were black, lonely and cold;
You came to me on silent feet
And retaught my dying heart to beat.
You possessed a spirit I had never known
That lifted the tedium from my soul.
With a simple laugh or smile tossed my way,
You cleansed my heart of the sadness it was plagued.

You came softly
You altered my mind, body and soul,
My indifference to this world and all that it holds.
In my heart you planted the seed of your presence
it grew, mirroring the blossom of our friendship;
A testament to the strength of your essence.
Even now, the seed grows stronger.
It’s true you know
Time does make the heart grow fonder

You came softly
I saw my days in black and grey
But with you, the darkness had no say.
Colours seemed to bloom in your wake.
Vibrant colours of orange, yellow and red,
Set the burning memory ablaze in my head;
Of the time your mouth hung, a gap with elation,
Your face fraught with fascination.
All the while your fingers stretch to the heavens,
Your hands hanging in timeless perfection.
Brown skin aglow with gaiety,
Your face whispered serenity.

You came softly
My fingers clench around the picture’s case.
My salty tears splash against your face.
I can’t look at this picture anymore.
They lied you know, time is no cure.
The pain, the hurt, the regret I feel inside
Nothing helps, and O how I’ve tried.

You came softly
In the dark the thoughts haunt me.
Behind closed lids, they’re all I see.
Even now the memory fills me with dread
Of hazel glistening eyes vibrant with life,
Turned to frigid opaque pools instead.
Mouth curled into a smile of contentedness,
Became a grimace of pain,
Stabbing my chest with its malevolence.
Your face once a soft compassionate mould;
Now dull, lifeless and cold.
The thought of your talented fingers that painted beauty,
Now stiff and frozen deepens my melancholy.
Your body is bruised, battered and bloodied,
And your beautiful hair now matted, wet and sullied.

You came softly
They came to my door, clad in blue
I wouldn’t have opened the door, had I knew
The evil message they had brought me
Their countenance dark and gloomy.
With soft and deliberate words they said,
“Are you Trisha’s friend?”
I remember they suggested I sit,
My parents holding my hands,
Though I hardly felt it.
“I’m afraid we have some bad news”
Suicide they told me and that’s all it took
Those words like frost and stronger than steel
Broke open the wounds that you had healed.
The chains that bound me to reality
Shattered like glass
How could this be?

You came softly
I can’t remember what happened next
Though my thoughts were dark, angry; vexed
The ears that perked at the sweet sound of your voice
now curl inward; deaf; but not by choice
No music can touch my dying soul
It was only your sweet voice; now I know
These eyes that once followed your every move,
Now see a world of black and grey
Because your fading life took all the colours away.
The feet that ran to your glowing face
Now shuffle the streets in meaningless pace.
These hands of mine meant for your embrace
Now hang lame and useless; trapped in their place.

You came softly
Off the bridge and over the edge you fell
I wonder, did you yell
When the rocks hacked the plates of your skull
and spilled your body’s life blood?
When the frigid waters scratched at your lungs
And you felt the cold fingers of death
What were your final whispered breathes?
When the world fell to empty silence
Did you find yourself missing sound’s absence?
Did you think of me in your final moments
Your life washed away by the indifferent currents?
If only I had looked beyond the lashes
to the eyes that stared off into the distance
Tears glistening like tiny crystals.
I would have seen beneath the cloak you wore
To the pain that stabbed you at your core.
You delighted men’s eyes with what they wished to see
But as your friend,
I should have been there when you needed me

You came softly