The Door

I discovered a door today
A door that's been there the whole time
Abandoned, neglected, and hidden
Out of sight, out of mind as they say
The hinges were rusted shut and the key was gone
However, someone came along
Started looking for the key
I told him to stop, but he wouldn't listen
I knew it would be painful if he opened the door
I ignored his suggestions that it would be okay
He found the key and unlocked the door
The hinges were as rusted as I thought
I pulled open the door, and it hurt
Yet it didn't hurt as badly as I expected
We entered the room together
I hadn't been in this room before, yet it was familiar
There were many, many more doors in this room
Some of them marked "DANGER" in big letters
Others were like the first door, hidden and locked
And others were wide open, inviting and pretty inside
I wanted to go in the open rooms, but he told me no
He said we needed to explore the dangerous ones first
I knew this was best, and he led the way
I'm still discovering all the rooms, but mostly by myself now
I've grown strong enough to face any dangers the rooms hold
Yet I couldn't have done it without his help and guidance
Without him, I wouldn't have ever opened the first door

9-13-14

Dedicated to my friends, Sheilia, who pointed out the door, and Kevan, who found the key

Robert Thompson: March Poem

The best of friends hold our hands for a while

Leave imprints on our soul, like footprints on wet concrete

When they leave this Earth, they take part of our soul with them

Each beating of our heart seems to hurt, each breath seems painful

We cry for our loneliness, our longing for them to be back

Others try to comfort us, but nothing seems to ease the pain

Only time makes us stronger, strong enough to stand back up

The tears still come, the pain is still there

We have good days where we can smile and remember the good times

Yet we still have bad days where we feel the stabbing in our hearts all over again

We keep moving forward though, one foot in front of the other

That is what our friend would want, for us to keep going

The pain will never go away, the hurt and sorrow will never cease

But we get strong enough to bear it and continue on

A song, a smell, a forbidden memory can set us off, but we'll be ok

No matter how badly it hurts, it's important to remember those things

They are gone from this Earth, and we will miss them deeply

But we will forever hold their memories in our hearts

Until we meet again

Dedicated to Robert Thompson

My best friend and 2nd father
Forever missed and forever loved
1946-2015