My mentor,
my friend,
my stepfather.
Loved by so many,
taken so quickly.
Leaving hundreds heartbroken,
never would have been his intention.
Who would have known
that a heart so big,
was so thoroughly diseased?

The wake of his death was
a raging storm.
It was needles in our souls.
Our tears became oceans,
in which we were slowly drowning.

But no matter how sad
we were then,
it’s better now.
We’ve found a new normal,
and the essence of his spirit
is ever present
in our hearts.