Elegy, Much Later
for Jonny
By Derek JG Williams
It’s been five years
since we met. In that first
year we fell
for the idea of death—
it didn’t seem like quitting.
If friends are the family
you choose,
for a long time, another year
maybe, I only knew
nicknames for the members
in my new family.
The names
our parents gave us
never fit
in our mouths
when we
tried to speak them.
Today I saw a bus with no
passengers and thought
of you.
It rolled through
the square—not stopping
for any of us.
We watched it pass
like the slow
ripening of a sunset,
or a bruise.
Derek JG Williams is a student of America’s shorthand history, grew up studying comic books and the backs of baseball cards. His writing has been featured at venues throughout the country and been published both in print and on the web. He is a proponent of handclaps in songs, thinks the designated hitter should be banned from baseball, and is celebrating all the time, anytime.
Gorgeous poem, Derek. Keep it up. Please.
This poem is some of the work that moves me to tears. Strength, both as a writer, and a man. You are a blessing and gift to all…..keep sharing…..we are all learning and growing as individuals.
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