Truth

Have you ever been going along through life, when suddenly it's brought to your attention how painfully fragile our existence is?

A guy I went to school with from 1st grade to 6th grade recently was killed in an ATV accident on his parents' Christmas tree farm. He had just turned 15.

That'll stop you in your tracks.

I've had a hard time understanding it. Of course, who ever understands death and it's implications on life? Nobody, that's who.

His brother, someone I knew just a little, is on Facebook. He wrote a poem, and tagged Kevin in it. Curious, I checked it out.

It was one of the greatest poems I have ever read.

The thing is, it wasn't a "good" poem. That's what I liked about it. It was raw. It was overflowing with incorrect grammar and punctuation. It was heartfelt, sincere, and completely disjointed. It was no fluff around the edges, no frilly nonsense, hardcore, unabridged truth.

That's why it was so great. It was true.

It didn't matter that most of the words didn't rhyme, or that it wasn't "nice" and "gentle." It was gut wrenching, it had bad language, it was dark. It was amazing.

Death happens. Nobody understands why. Nobody understands why the people who die are no longer here.

Life doesn't last. Only the things we leave behind. Only the truth.