For Donnie

How can we lose you?
It’s clear we can’t, yet we have.
It makes me want to break stuff and cry and then cry some more.
You had so much more to do: we discussed that.
What can I say about someone
Who seemed to always do the right thing?
What do I say about someone who cared, capital “C”?
Who listened, truly listened,
Who was thoughtful—and you certainly were that—
Who spoke to us with such honesty and love?
You made me feel
Like I was the only person in the world
Who mattered.
Your unconditional love flowed
From your very essence.
You used authenticity as your guiding principle,
You had beauty without artifice,
(those jeans, those jeans!)
And when you looked at something,
Your eyes entered the object with such piercing observation
It’s a wonder they didn’t get stuck there.
Extraordinary doesn’t say it,
Beautiful doesn’t say it,
No words can say
What you were, dear, dear Donnie.