Remembering

(in memory of Larry Coryell,
best friend of one of my best friends)

Why do we wait
to feel our love
for so many people
(only in retrospect,
when they have left the Earth)
until they die?

Why does it take missing them
to value what they have given us?

It would be better, each day,
to stop and consider
who give us joy and comfort,
and return their gift,
while they can still enjoy it,
with gratitude.