To Gerry 5/4/45 to 4/10/19
This poem was written six years ago after the death of a dear childhood friend. Years accumulated without contact between us. In her final months, she reached out to me, a tender reminder of the bond we formed over sixty years before as twelve-year-old girls. Our families both relocated to Bellevue, Washington the summer before our 7th grade year at school; hers from Oregon, mine from Kansas. We were the newbies so naturally clung to each other as we learned how to navigate a new school and integrate into a new community of teens. She will always be a happy memory. Today is her birthday – Happy Birthday, Gerry.
Death nudged me today.
Just to say, Remember
I will be your escort one day.
She was a friend of childhood,
A bosom buddy in a mutable time.
We were close, two coats of paint.
Teen dances at the gym
Girlhood angst
Secrets whispered and shared
A rambunctious orb of energy
Her infectious laugh
Reached the corners of my preteen world
She, the adventurer
I, the eager sidekick
Exploring adolescence together
A blueberry summer, picking for money
Her buckets overflowed, mine barely topped
She reaped a summer salary, I lasted two days
Blessed with natural athleticism,
She excelled in gymnastic maneuvers.
My feet refused to leave the ground.
An enthusiastic cheerleader, she leaped
My leaps fell short, I tried
My place in the bleachers assured
By high school, our paths diverged
Friendship, a shadow
Not gone, just faded
Our last summer together after school
She led the way, I followed
Clerks at an insurance agency
She married, I married
She had a baby, I had a baby
Then two, and one extra for me
Ambitious and motivated
She had her own business.
I focused on three children.
Our contact was sparse
Never completely closing the gap
To reclaim friendship
She moved, I moved
She divorced, I didn’t
The contours of our lives unaligned
She moved to the desert, Las Vegas
I moved to the desert, Tucson
No contact for decades.
She reached out
A year ago, email
Stage 4 cancer was the verdict.
I sent prayers, encouragement,
Cards and emails for months.
She died.
The phantom of our friendship
Rests in my heart.
I see her smile, her laugh an echo.
It will be my turn someday
To dance with death.
Again, she led the way.
wonkagranny 
This is exactly sums up my relationship with a childhood friend. She’s been gone 8 years now. Thank you; I’m enjoying your writings and also live in Tucson..Robin Conner
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Thank you for your comments. It is indeed hard to say goodbye to the people who shared childhood memories with us. They will linger in our hearts for the rest of our lives.
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I knew Gerry Covington passed, but did not know when. Thanks for the reminder of our teen years and the few years we have left. Glad we reconnected too.
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Yes, Emilie. We three were always the short ones in the class. Remember Andy Lagozo (sp?) our counselor at Highland? He teased us all the time. He was a shorty too. Good TImes.
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Your poem is such a beautiful tribute.
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It is sad to say goodbye to friends who shared pieces of your life and with whom you have memories that only the two of you know. Thank you for reading and commenting.
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