Facts of Life (Austin)

Austin you left the world way too soon

The tears that stained my face and wet my pillow that night was a monsoon

Of emotions of the kid I never really knew

For three years I talked to you

And you loved Halo and Pokemon

And the color green

And a guest you always were

Never wanting to be blue

Because blue isn’t happy

Blue is sad and the chilly air bites

And nips at my arms

And I think of you in the ground some 3000 miles away

And I get chills

Goosebumps form and my arm hair stands on end

Because a happy boy to me

Might be unhappy to himself

And I wish I could have fixed that

And I know it’s not my fault

But I want to help you always

So this year I’ll walk

Walk out of the darkness

Walk out of the hurt

Walk out of the shadows

Walk out of the cold

Walk into the brightness

Walk into loving arms

Walk into the light

Walk into the warmth

Because no one deserves to die at age 17

Not you or me

Not the boy across the street

Not the boy in Uganda

Not the boy in Ukraine

Not the girl in Venezuela

Not the girl in Uzbekistan

Because life is so precious

You have to hold onto what you have

Because otherwise it’s just a waste

Of the gift God has granted to us

So go out and change the world

Go out and make a mistake

Go out and be a fool in love

Because you have the rest of your life to be right

And as chills consume my body

And my soul is growing weary

I think of my best friends hugging

And I feel warm once more