*
*
His was a whisper of a life
lived distant from mine
the red-haired boy I knew
in fifth grade, moved away
*
I thought him lovely,
with his hair and guitar
I wrote him in England
he wrote back—once
*
He joined the music scene,
following his parents’ footsteps
Composed, sang, backed up
the famous and almost famous
*
He faded out of my thoughts
over the years, then reappeared
in a box of old vinyl albums
in an antique store
*
Name and face caught my eye
the album cover, red gold hair, beard
I bought it for ten dollars
looked him up on the internet
*
He died at age 59, in 2011,
the year my granddaughter was born
A heart attack, so young
Drugs? Years of dissolution?
*
His mother survived him by 5 years
Terrible, to outlive your child
How did he spend the years in between,
that boy I once knew?
Tangled Magic 