NaMoWriPo: #8 and #9 as it was a day.

I had a dear friend die today from cancer. I thought he was doing better, so the news was a bit of a shock and I’ll miss him very much---another theatre buddy, Keith Gehrig. The picture is him holding my son in the box office where we spent a lot of time chatting at The Driftwood Players. He often designed lights for me too whenever I needed it. Both my buddies from that place and era have now passed on and both died in early April as Gregory’s death anniversary was on April 4^th. We spent hours chatting in that little office.

 Both great friends and I miss them so much as Gregory has been gone a few years now and Kieth and I only messaged back and forth on Facebook. The last time I saw him in person was when he directed me in Reboot’s 1776 production and a random audition a couple years later. We talked about meeting up for coffee, but we never did it.

 

Theatre Teatime

I don’t know what to say about your going away

You opened your heart and invited me to tea

never seemed at a loss of what to say

sitting, enjoying, you’d let me be

till I spoke

then you’d stoke

a small ember

of an idea

becoming limber

stretching light years

where I hadn’t thought before

you’d gently crack a door

open to a side

where you’d spied

I didn’t get it

With it we’d sit

Discuss the conundrum

It wasn’t always a fun thing

But you had gentle hands

Holding out without sting

Your words bridged a span

Inside my being

 

The big event today was the total eclipse of the sun. It seemed like a lot of people I know were out somewhere in the US watching it. Here in western Washington, it was really cloudy today and we couldn’t see a thing! Picture taken by my friend, Kevin Freeman, who did go to a zoo in the path of the eclipse to see it.

 

Eclipse: Not in the Path

Light and dark

Seen from parks

Benches, zoos

Anywhere you choose

As long as you stay on the path

If you weren’t near a place

Some people stashed

Wads of cash to pay to be

In an observation by the sea

With scads of others

Waiting breathlessly

As the moon ate the glorious sun

I’m sure it was fun

If you could see said Firey ball

Not Washington, we stall

Hoping the clouds will part

Much like Descartes

We had to just believe it was there

Though, like trained bears

We stepped outside to stare

Even though we tried not to care

It was a big deal

Like getting a seal

That stamps approval

without social removal

Of not being part of the loop

As the whole world seemed to whoop

We went back inside

Reserving our pride

Watching it on the internet

Telling ourselves we have no regret