Well Worn Through

Facebook says you’re gone,
Like the many maddening horrors
     that mark the daily news,
It can’t be true.

Weren’t we just kids?
You, pirouetting
     beneath a falling baton,
Me, drawing glances
     with a waving flag.

In the crowded hallways
     you caught my eye.
Like a favorite sweater,
     you slipped over my soul.
Chic
     Reliable
          Comfort.

Were we rebels?
     I thought we were.
Questioning the status quo while
     following almost all of the rules.

That smile of yours,
    that tsk,
          those fluttering eyelids.
Lethal weapons of your cashmere charm.

You could do anything
     and seemingly without compromise.
One to set her own path
     and
          convention be damned.

I’ll miss you,
     will never forget our adolescent grievances,
Melting into knowing smirks,
     rolling eyeballs,
          relinquishing laughter.

The world is a sobering place,
But you weren’t one to turn your back on it.
Reminding
     Challenging
          Helping
               Healing.

A creator at heart,
You knew how to find beauty.
In art
     In nature
          In humans
               In home.

Dang!
     Did you know how much I admired you?
Smart
     Cool
          Sporty
               Kind.
Wish we’d done more together.
Time wasn’t supposed to end.


My favorite sweaters are full of holes.
Worn through by years of
     Love and
          Action.
I’ll not part with them.
And I will forever hold your memory in the topmost drawer
     Of my tear-stained heart.

May you rest in glorious
     Baton-twirling,
          Pool-shooting,
               Wise-cracking,
                    Hip-swaying,
                         Fist-raising,
                              Kiss-blowing,
                                   Roof-raising peace.

Theresa Ann Heurtebise, May 23, 1960 to October 31, 2023.