Partings

Partings

Too often I have parted company

For inconsequential reasons,

Or no reason at all.

But occasionally the time is ripe and I am ready.

I remember both the building

Of bonds that held fast in troubled times

And the disagreements, seen as betrayals,

That destroyed relationships.

Terminal impacts I have suffered include:

Discovering a “friend” was a Yankee fan,

Finding a buddy paid clergy for “special” blessings,

And being told politicians work for the people.

If there is an art to saying goodbye,

I’ve not found the key to that door.

My friend Vinnie said he never screwed a friend.

They had ceased being friends well before the final turn.

I’ve watched recovering buddies

Embrace one another in forgiveness and warmth,

Only to renounce each other within an hour.

Such is the potential volatility of friendship.

Here’s to friendships.

Always an endangered species.

May you have one that endures

And matters,