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Wednesday, October 17, 2018

In Memory of Jared Gardner

I haven't shared any of my writing on here in awhile, but I recently wrote a poem for my creative writing class that I thought I'd post. If you've been following my blog, you know that one of my best friends, Jared Gardner, drowned about 5 months ago. If you haven't, you can find my post on grief here. This poem is about losing him, and I hope that it provides comfort and peace to anyone who has lost a loved one. I know it helped me to untangle my own grief. Thank you for reading!

Jared
Though no space in my mind does occupy
Our meeting on an unknown season’s day
Still our friendship is rooted deep
Branded on both my heart and soul 
The two rivers of our lives flowed
Into one sea filled with you and me

Memories polished smooth with frequent thought
Sink as stones to the bottom of our sea
Wherein they lie as the foundation 
Upon which we build connection 
Goodbyes were said one day as any other time
Yet like as in summer, sudden storm clouds came

My eyes fell upon the piercing words and 
Tears like raindrops fell on trembling cheeks
Into a river swift Jared had been swept away
Pricks of pain did break the surface of our sea 
From crystal clear to muddy gray did the water change
As waiting agony swirled within

Under boulders was his body found
He no longer swam the river of life 
The waters of our sea did recede
And left the shores bare brown
My lonely river did retreat without 
The echoes of life’s skipping stones

My broken heart drowned in the river
The one unanswered question why
Never hear the laughter bubble up
Never see the ripples ebb and flow
‘Til one day we stand on golden ground
And see the Captain of our sea

Doubts and pain and fears awash
Yet peace attendeth my way
As slowly my river winds
Around the curves and bends
The stones still rest with me
And Jared always will I see

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