I rarely sit down and write a poem for its own sake. Mostly they finish up as lyrics for songs. However, in September 2020 one of my oldest and closest friends passed away. Chris and I had met at school and over the years had performed together on countless occasions. My best guess is 150+ gigs. On National Poetry Day 2020 I was moved to write the following.
A poem for National Poetry Day 2020 Theme: Vision
Look both ways dedicated to Chris Coote
We can look one way and see Opportunities that passed us by Places we failed to visit Plays and operas we missed Friends we should have seen more often Words we meant to say, but didn’t And feel sadness for friends who have passed away
Or we can look the other and remember Times when we seized the day Visits to wonderful places Theatre that stays with us Time spent laughing with friends Words we said and are so pleased we did And feel joy for those friends who enhanced our lives while they could