i wrote this poem today probably quicker than i've written any poem in the history of my life. it is hard to believe anything but that frank had something to do with it.
song of the bones between femurs and shins
by jennifer hetrick
when a good friend dies, you hold
your knees tightly together in front
of you, hugging them to your chest.
you tell yourself you're hugging
the friend, his heart, the exact
part of his body which hit hard
pavement first when he jumped out
of his third floor window on that
widest road in royersford, church
street. you hold your knees because
you know his had knives in them,
and the doctors were tired of his
complaints about the jagged, fierce
pain. you hold your knees because
it is a way you can send him your
love, from this heavy realm all
the way to the other side, although,
it is not as far from us as we think.
*
and here is a photograph i found, which frank took, of him holding a flashlight almost out of view in his hand, sitting on one of his knees.
remember, friends and even those who did not know frank but are inspired by him are welcome to submit poems, stories, jokes, paintings, and other forms of art for posting here. you are welcome to email them to me any day throughout the year: poetrywithjenniferhetrick at yahoo dot com via poetrywithjenniferhetrick.blogspot.com.
