Just showin’ up

I won’t do no Jedi mind trip .
I ain’t Obi Wan Kenobi
I won’t start babblin’ about “the Force.”
His life happened;
his death has happened .

Upon receipt of that grim news,
I realized
that my world had
just gotten harsher.

A world where the sound of his voice
on his answering machine
could calm my panic and
soothe my troubles
better than heroin
is no more.

Oh, he used to vex me.
Like when I would ask him
“How ya doin’?”
“Just right,” he would say “Just right.”
I have no patience with that particular
piece of zen bullshit.
I’ve never been “just right.”

No matter.
He is gone, but
thanks to him
I am embued with
his view of this world.
He taught me that
“all you have to do
is just show up.”
Whether it’s your wedding day or
the day of your execution, it’s the same.
You get to show up.

To which I have added
and I know he would agree
that just showin’ up
is a privilege.

For Al H.

Capitanotedeschi

Just showin' up copyright June 9, 2009 by Jamie Jacks

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