She Could Not Stay, My Friend

She could not stay, my friend. It’s hurts to see a friend who yearns for a love he has lost, No fault, no blame is his. Just the cruel and untimely snatching of a life that held so much promise. He wakes in the darkness -his heart still beats, his breath still draws, His solitary sadness enfolds him in place of arms that once held him close. While silent tears fall, he tries to recall the features of her face. The smile that lit up his world, eyes that sparkled with mischief or flashed with desire. The gentle mouth that spoke soothing words and laughed at all his jokes. The lips that caressed his own … so long ago. The world carried on regardless … how could that be so? Why did it not stop, when the best part of it was no longer here? He looks at the door each day … waiting for her to appear. But no, the girl shaped space remains. He hears her voice in the growing silence. He smells the faint, lingering perfume that conjures up the summer days of their love. An abandoned hairbrush that brings to mind lustrous hair that once lay upon his chest. What lies ahead? Will his heart leap again? Is there love to be found or will it come looking for him? He waits … hoping … wanting … needing … his heart yearning to be filled, Waiting for a hand that he can hold on to and a heart that will belong and never more be lost. March 22, 2017