Poem for Joseph

I'm ready to write about these past months,

of the loss of a brother seemingly all at once,

about gut-wrenching pain and cancer ridden bones,

about deep conversations and late night moans.

I've entered that age, or so says the news,

when our friends start to pass, dear ones we lose,

but what of those that were lost long before,

suffering is what life seems to have in store.

Persevere we must, hold our heads on high,

stay healthy, eat right, exercise, for the end is not nigh.

screw those adages of age, and fuck what they say,

90’s the new 60 if you're intent to find the way.

It all comes down to love, and how we open to its power,

how life's years provide an opening like the lotus flower,

petal by petal, experiences know no end,

don't waste a moment, it is all so special my friend.