It started with a greeting
A one-sided attraction that
morphed into obsession
Then
A chlorine-scented encounter
A sniper
And a deadly promise
The set up was next
The seeds of doubt sown in a field of distrust
Mass deception made palatable by a dusting
of truth
I O U
A promise of flight with a permanent end
Then The Game began
I remember
The cold urban wind biting my skin with cruel, possessive teeth
The bleached out scene that unfolded before my eyes like a dream
A nightmare
You stood on the roof dark coat and dark hair snatched by the playful breeze
Your mouth moved and Your voice came out, tinny, in my ear
As intimate as a whisper
Your voice cracked like Your composure
Rumbled lies that rolled from Your tongue like secret truths
My denials fell on deaf ears
Goodbye
You whispered brokenly as You tossed aside our last connection
And the force that tethered Your feet to this earth suspended
For a moment gravity fell away as You stepped from the edge
Arms spread like a martyr
And then You fell
You fell with coattails flapping like broken angel wings
Through the solid air that muffled and swallowed my denial
You fell until you met Your destination
Body greeting the ground with a thump of finality;
A dusty tome being closed for the last time
My feet caught the pavement and I stumbled and fell
fell like You
With swimming vision I pushed through the flock of vultures
Please He's my friend
I turned You over
Pale eyes in a paler face
Black curls matted with Your thoughts
Your experiences and feelings that you claimed not to possess
Blood spread in a halo curling away from its broken vessel
Seeping through the cracks and staining the concrete
With memories
A grim and gristly reminder of the best and wisest man I ever knew