A Cherished Passenger Poem by Brian Rihlmann

Circumstances
have put half a continent
between us, my friends,
and yet
the laughter we shared
remains by my side.

It rides with me,
a cherished passenger
on this voyage
through dark nights
and dreary days,
rising like a sun
that warms
against life's chills,
a brilliant sun
that is mine alone.

I remember
those many years ago,
how you took me in,
a stray at your door,
far from home.

And all the late nights
of storytelling
and drinking too much wine,
and how the laughter
roared out of us
and bound us together.

Until I see you again
I carry that sound,
and your smiles
in my howling heart,
like a bright flower
that blooms
in every season.