An Old Friend

If you’re lucky to live long enough,

loss becomes part of life

When I was twelve after I moved away

I didn’t know how to process Allison’s death alone

When we buried Tamra a decade later

I had been around enough death

to know what the motions were supposed to be

but even now, a memory comes to the front of my mind

and I remember that someone is gone

it reminds me that loss doesn’t get easier

it just becomes more familiar.