Christopher Begin…

I never met Christopher, in person per say.
I never saw his smiling face, on a bright sunny day.
Or the way he made you laugh,
When you thought your cloud was gray.

He possessed everything a good person should.
And a long life was expected because of this good.
What is life?
The breath from beginning to end.
What is end?
Except, to return to, the begin.

The breath in between
Whether it is long or short
Is what we hold on to,
After the body departs.
He leaves behind his spirit, that intangible thing,
We remember and celebrate.

You say he never married
Or had children to raise.
You said he should have done these things
Before he went to his grave.
But that’s not why he was given to you.

His parents had a child
Like they were suppose to.
They brought him to you after, the begin.
For you to breath with his spirit until the end.
The end of this journey is just the next step back.
Back to where we all began.

I never met Christopher
But his spirit I knew.
And one day mine,
He will know also.


*(This Poem was written to a very dear friend of mine after her young nephew had just lost his battle with cancer.)

My Dear Friend ______, May 7, 2005

You told me you did not understand poetry. So the best way for me to explain it is to say, “It’s just a book in a very condensed form”.

I could write a book about Christopher but it would take years or I could write this poem for you to read between your tears.

You said you cannot make sense of what has just happened and I could give you words of cliché, but you know that is not me. So here is what I have to say.

Until our breath cease
And we meet at the begin,
If you still have questions,
They can be fully answered then.

Your Dear Friend,

Minnie Patmon-McLaurin