51

it began with some impertinence
on my part, though for that i have
no apologies. that was when we
built bridges on harmless banter, before
the storm of understanding eroded them.
years now have come
between us, like the sea that isolates
shipwreck survivors. we bob,
sometimes a finger-length away,
sometimes miles apart. time made me
drift; at times i almost lost hold

completely, resembling
a certain ex-planet, always
the dwarfed outsider, straining to keep
to one eccentric orbit, revolving
around the wrong core. though you
had your circle of friends, held by
one like-minded gravity, you did not
cast me to the oblivion of unknown
galaxies and anaerobic darkness.
by your neptune-like strength i remained
a part, a part of life's ellipse.

your forte is words; i prefer numbers.
but your name, in both, will be framed
in eternal recollection: the cornerstone
of the house of youth. for that
i thank you.

for shayi