The Drum (for Odie)

My heart feels frozen like the snow that falls upon the landscape.

But it keeps beating like a distant drum lost in the deep woods.

Listening for an echoing escape. A beat clouded in despair.



I ask myself. “Why?”

You seemed so young and vibrant like the bright sun

Shining down upon lupine on the side of Route four in summertime.



Your spirit galloped like horses in a field of clover.

Your happiness was as contagious as a chubby baby

with a laugh that comes deep from the belly.



You were like one of your classic cars.

Timeless.

Your soul gentle like the breeze on the lake.



Oh, how my heart aches.



You left a mark like a fossil in the dirt.

Deeply embedded with your legacy.



Today, I grieve.

Sadness fills me like a balloon that cannot accept any more air.

I know I have to say goodbye.

I will pop that balloon for I know

That you have filled it with helium

And the sounds of the memories

From those that you have touched will erupt.



When this happens, the snow around my heart will melt

I will know that you lived life to the fullest.

And the beating of the drum will thump with loudness.

You would want life to go on like a merry-go round at the county fair.

For one day, we will reunite and reminisce. For now. The beat goes on.



I love you, Odie. My cousin. My friend.