Breadcrumb #593
GARY GLAUBER
Her death surprised me
even though signs
pointing to that end
were clear enough:
stage four and yet
never a dimmed spirit.
She was one who lived
with fervor, so much
that she could breathe
excess passion into characters
on a darkened stage
and captivate lives
of audiences beyond
the ordinary rigmarole
of their workaday tedium,
lives needing that
infusion of extra vigor
she deftly provided.
She was whip smart,
a contemporary whose
savvy and tenacity
turned her into
instant mentor
to any of us in her circle.
She showed me how
the talented surround
themselves with more talent,
magnetic attraction
extending into fulfilling
life of caring friends,
continual discoveries.
She introduced me
to the dark acerbic comedian,
long before fame found him,
he who cobbled quite a
successful career of complaints,
whining about politics
and civil injustices that
comprise our modern lives.
He loved her too.
She is gone too soon,
and something sinks inside me,
remembering her smile,
her talent, her generous way
of opening doors to those
younger, greener, needy
and learning their craft.
Her friends became my friends
at a time when the lonely city
overwhelmed, but this
coterie’s affable welcome
countered and overcame.
We savored and cherished
each others’ successes.
Over years we lost touch,
our once close camaraderie
reduced to niceties on social media,
support distilled to likes and follows.
And now death arrives,
the ultimate posting,
a one-way trip with no curtain calls,
a sharp blow to the solar plexus,
a seizing up, a sizing up, a silent
appreciation of her many wonders.
Slowly, the exodus has begun.
One generation making way
for another, new means of
storytelling occupying
inquisitive young minds.
At the end, she said
she found true love.
Amidst the pain of disease
and scheduled sessions of
agonizing chemical hopefulness,
came the unlikely happy ending
we as audience all root for.
Her thoughts shall still find voice
from stage and page, but her life
was the truest inspiration.
I stand here removed,
and applaud loudly, hoping
she hears the heartfelt roar,
beyond the spotlight
her sweet life commanded,
to this new home
in oblivion’s darkened wings.