Pat and Charlene

How the pain of friendship
Lingers long past your death
To cause my consciousness
To choke on the dust as my
Recall rushes down the
Winding road of my memory

How we worked the hard
Long days of poverty
We laughed and comforted
As we watched our children grow
Our goal to shorten the day
Bring home the gold

The many hours
Needlepointed into years
Today my dear friends
You were taken by fire
And from this moment on
I must fight the wind
To protect the ashes
Of our memories