Beloved Friend Roger's Nature Hike Ended Too Soon
by Nicoletta LaMarca-Sacco

Like brothers in high school and college, he and my husband
Shared the good, bad, and ugly
Dead-end jobs, good jobs
Fly-fishing in the Catskills
When they were penniless, and also flush

They made a pact to get a little cabin
Sleep inside, tie flies, and spend
As much time fishing as possible
Life took a turn, and it never happened
For those two friends

Pinch myself; we live here now
Along a dirt road; a stream across the street
Little pond in front; singing birds and frogs
It was Roger's idea
But he is no longer here

He took his camera on a nature hike, but suddenly
The circle of life came to a close abruptly
We mourned the loss of a man who seemed infallible
No future times spent with our kids
He was their godfather

I was pregnant, and remember
A wrenching pain

That I still feel every time
I hear of an untimely death
 

Return to: