I hope you wore a sweater,
in your favorite shade of blue.
It gets cold in late November,
_(it gets darker faster, too)_
I hope the shoes you wore fit snugly
_(even if your socks don't match)_
I hope your last day wasn't ugly,
I hope the pain was over fast.
I'm sure you felt your sadness deeply,
I'm sure you felt your heart ache too.
When you took a walk when all were sleeping,
in your favorite shade of blue.
I wonder what it felt like,
to pick the perfect tree.
To end your painful heartache,
snug shoes on dangling feet.
But my most pressing question,
that I would ask of you,
is where did you lose your earbud?
_(you're wearing one, not two)_
They moved you to the metal table,
_(the one that tilts down at an angle)_
They cut the sweater off you too,
your favorite one in midnight blue.
They make their notes:
your weight,
your height.
They check your shoulder width and write:
"He will fit a standard casket"
_(they carry on with their assessment)_
"Rope indentation - on the neck
Eyes and fingers - blue and red
Socks mismatching
Nike shoes
One earbud gone"
_(that's all I knew)_
Tell me why'd you take that walk?
I know the road ahead looked bare.
Tell me how you chose a song.
Did you brush your teeth and comb your hair?
Did it happen on a school night?
_(your file says you were in 12th grade)_
Did you tell your mom you loved her?
- with your mind already made.
So to the boy with just one earbud,
I'm sorry this world felt so wrong.
I hope you're in your favorite sweater,
and you're listening to your favorite song.
Dec 10, 2023
Dec 10, 2023 at 8:44 AM UTC
I hope you wore a sweater,
in your favorite shade of blue.
It gets cold in late November,
_(it gets darker faster, too)_
I hope the shoes you wore fit snugly
_(even if your socks don't match)_
I hope your last day wasn't ugly,
I hope the pain was over fast.
I'm sure you felt your sadness deeply,
I'm sure you felt your heart ache too.
When you took a walk when all were sleeping,
in your favorite shade of blue.
I wonder what it felt like,
to pick the perfect tree.
To end your painful heartache,
snug shoes on dangling feet.
But my most pressing question,
that I would ask of you,
is where did you lose your earbud?
_(you're wearing one, not two)_
They moved you to the metal table,
_(the one that tilts down at an angle)_
They cut the sweater off you too,
your favorite one in midnight blue.
They make their notes:
your weight,
your height.
They check your shoulder width and write:
"He will fit a standard casket"
_(they carry on with their assessment)_
"Rope indentation - on the neck
Eyes and fingers - blue and red
Socks mismatching
Nike shoes
One earbud gone"
_(that's all I knew)_
Tell me why'd you take that walk?
I know the road ahead looked bare.
Tell me how you chose a song.
Did you brush your teeth and comb your hair?
Did it happen on a school night?
_(your file says you were in 12th grade)_
Did you tell your mom you loved her?
- with your mind already made.
So to the boy with just one earbud,
I'm sorry this world felt so wrong.
I hope you're in your favorite sweater,
and you're listening to your favorite song.
Written after reviewing a morgue case of a young boy who left the world too soon
