The River

I took a walk to the river today
I waded through mud and muck
I went to find our special place
To feel less alone & change my luck

I called you my fortune cookie
Because you always had
The most beautiful things to say
Hopeful, uplifting, never sad

And I felt so lucky to have you
So honored to be by your side
But the walk didn’t stop when you left
It’s just a different stride

I don’t have your hand to hold
And life is so heavy now
I would give everything I have
To bring you back somehow

My steps are no longer light
My gait is not carefree
I’m crippled underneath the weight
Of what your death took from me

I am afraid of everything now
I jump at every sound
There will never be anyone else
Whose love was so profound

Whose face could bring a smile
From my sullen expressions
And whose voice was my lifeline
When I needed to calm the Depression

I’m writing this poem now
Before you actually pass
Because I know when it happens
It could happen really fast

And I might not get the chance
To hold you one more time
And feel your love surround me
Like the statues in a shrine

And I might not get the chance to say
How much you’ve meant to me
So I want you to hear it now
Not when you have to leave.

CC Perry 2021