Poem of the Month

Fare thee well

Fare thee well
Old friend of mine
My comrade all these years
Who stood by me in happy times
And shared my lonely tears
As we part
Remember not
The sadness of this day
Think not my friend
Of this as the end
But
The beginning of a new way
Remember
The summers and the springs
The winters and the falls
Take heed my friend
It is the wind
Her voice gently calls
Fare thee well
Old friend of mine
Remember only the mirth
Go my friend among the clouds
As I return to the earth

This poem was written by a man named Michael, who I met during a time of personal turmoil on an airplane from Philadelphia to Atlanta. Like an angel, he coached me-a complete stranger- through a very deep struggle.

Mike wrote this poem when he was 15 years old growing up in rural Alabama. This is what he says about it:

“For me it represents the separating of the body and the spirit at the moment of death. The body is saying goodbye to its closest friend after sharing a mortal lifetime of experiences. The body has come to realize that even though it would love to have its friend in its presence forever; it is time to experience the next chapter of their being.”