People come into our lives
To serve some purpose or reason
Then they are gone like a puff of wind
Receding like the ending season.
There are times when friendships end
When nothing can hold them together
When uninvited feelings get in the way
Stirring up stormy weather.
One friend might begin to think
We can mend this gap if we try
But it takes two to bridge the breach
To avoid saying that final goodbye.
Some people are so caught up in self
They think others are always at fault
They never ponder their own mistakes
To see the harm they’ve wrought.
To my regret, I lost such a friend
How wasteful it seems, my loss
I watched her change and withdraw each day
Becoming frequently very cross.
I’m proud that I tried to be a friend
By showing kindness, patience and concern,
Sadly, it never seemed enough for her
And her odd resentment began to burn.
We shared so many things we did
Camaraderie for many months on end
Then she started withdrawing and pulling away
As though tired of being my friend.
I showered her with kindness and praise
When she shared good news with me
While she ignored my few blessings
That I shared with her, you see.
When I told her something good,
Such as having lunch with a childhood friend,
She wouldn’t even acknowledge my note
I sensed our friendship would end.
But not because I didn’t try,
To keep it all together
Soon I began to feel that nothing I did
Could mend the stormy weather.
The problem seemed to worsen each new day
There seemed little more I could do or say
Whatever stirred inside her head
Would be her demon when she knelt to pray.
To lose a friend is such a hard thing to do
When there is no answer to our “why”
An emptiness grows deeply inside.
As we breathe goodbye on an empty sigh.
-Jeannette Cooper.
