Silhouette against the sky
Framed with fire
You stand.
You stand
Alive
And yet my mind still whispers
Death.
My heart still fears
For you.
My limbs can't shake
The stiffness of grief.
A rock still sits
In my gut.
Silhouette against the sky
Framed with fire
You stand.
You stand
A fraction of your former self.
Phantom
Shadow
Ever to be whole?
Your easiness
Relaxation
All you had learned
Acceptance
Stolen from you
By the grip of death
Silhouette against the sky
Framed with fire
You stand.
I watch
The pain in your eyes
Once so understanding.
The struggle to remember
What once made you
Friend.
My mouth says friend
My heart says brother.
I wonder
Will ever be the same?
Can I stand the difference?
Silhouette against the sky
Framed with fire
You stand.
You stand
Like ice
In the desert sun
Even as you fight
I remember
If I hadn't tried,
The cost would have been
My soul.
I promise to try
To be
Your anchor in the swirling sea
Your shelter in the raging storm.
Through it all
I have been
And always shall be
Your friend
Your brother.