For Noel

Our friend who left too soon.

A flash of light reflected by foam

On a ripple of the ocean of time

Only catching the luckiest eye

A flicker and gone, life

Days are long and years are short

Till death do you part and to death you will part
Each day borrowed

Today is forever, until it isn't
The light is broken

Smile frozen on the eternally young

What loss, what emptiness

A trade that everyone loses

You couldn’t say, we couldn’t know
How much we would give 

For five minutes to change your mind

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

The last lines cause the shadow of suicide to hover around this one. It is a deeply moving piece, each line reflecting a philosophical thought about the fragility of life. The last lines also reflect the sense of helplessness and guilt that plague those left behind.