You are that fire in the midst of a raging winter,
the first and single daffodil at the brink of spring,
a summer storm that breaks the hovering heat,
the last green leaf to fall with the slumbering oak.

Hope and clarity, like the single candle that starts a vigil
Light and sensitive, as if heaven’s rays concocted your body
Strong and beautiful, a comet that inspires and ignites
Lovely and fearless, the red sunrise after the darkest night.

My dearest friend, you are louder than any hurricane,
Mightier than any wind yet soft as a young rose petal.
Your back against my own, together facing the tides
Of tsunamis that should’ve destroyed us, but here we are.

Time is a fickle thing, it falls like a rock and flies like a feather.
Distance is a cruel creature, pulling and bridging the strains.
But you are so valued, so precious in my memory --
Like a swollen chapter with pages lined in platinum,

It would be a sin to forsake such a person as yourself.
If ever a moment of dysphoria befalls you, take comfort
In the memory and ever beating heart of our friendship:
Call me up, *****, ain’t no way you’re escaping me.