a poem I wrote long ago

Back in 1976 I was 15 years old -- and traveling Europe by myself. I called home (which was in Oslo, Norway) from Luxembourg and my father informed me that I should consider cutting my trip short if I wanted to say farewell to some of my friends since we were leaving Norway in August -- he had recieved PCS orders (permenant change of station). I knew then that one of my very good friends I would never see again since her family was on vacation in Turkey.

So I wrote this:

Goodbye

Goodbye my favored stranger, now I let you go
Some tangled strand of you are caught in memories branches though

Forgetfulness is like a blade you sharpen on a stone,
but when you test it with a thumb- it cuts unto the bone.

Dark blood wheals along the cut, eventually it seals
wrapped up in distance, thought and time the deepest wound still heals

goodbye, once again, my favored friend