Carol - poem

Wonderful woman,
brimming with love and laughter,
you had no dark side,
and wore a feather boa,
an affectation,
which made me love you more.

I cannot forget
a friendship forged so long ago
and so enduring,
a gauche girl when first we met
and now sophisticated,
a woman,
brave and unafraid
of the approaching darkness.

My admiration is infinite,
my affection boundless,
as I watch you struggle
against the black clouds of sorrow,
the ravages of pain and evil.

When finally you must go
I'll cry and tear my hair
and put ashes on my head
and curse the melancholy emptiness,
the darkness, and the void.

Whatever happens I know
you will be part of me forever
as remembrances of you
have become part of myself
and must remain so
until I, too,
engage the Great Mystery
and find everlasting peace.