ON LOSING A FRIEND

I had a dear friend I loved with all my heart,
Felt that way about him from the very start;
Would've risked my life to save him from danger,
Even when I knew it meant rousing his anger;

It happened that my friend went the wrong way,
Wouldn't hear a single word I had to say
When I lovingly tried to sound the alarm
That would open his eyes, keep him from harm,

Try though I might, my friend wouldn't listen,
Even became hostile, caused tears to glisten
In my eyes as they looked in despair upon the face
That would soon show signs of pain and disgrace;

He said his feelings for me were not the same,
Said, "If you’re so smart, you’re ahead of the game,"
"But all your uppity talk you can just freeze,"
"‘Cause you don’t tell me, I do what I please."

I walked away, defeated, accepting at last
That our friendship was now a thing of the past;
The love I felt inside never faded away,
I knew I'd be there for him, come what may;

But he never called. Now I suddenly hear
That he’s been dead for over a year,
Was shot and killed instantly during a brawl
That started in a bar, a free-for-all;

Pain filled my being and I couldn't help but wonder
If way back then I’d made a terrible blunder,
If instead of letting our bonds of friendship be cut,
I'd held on to my friend and kept my big mouth shut?



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