One of my co-workers at my full-time job unexpectedly died last week. I didn’t know Sonya well – 46, major heart attack – but I remember her lively presence on the train and when I first started my job, she was the AA for the IT department. For the three months that my cube was on the second floor, she lit the office. When my department moved up to the third floor, I only saw her on the train when I was going to Philadelphia. Ms. Ernestine wanted me to write a poem that she could give to Sonya’s mother. Here is my go at it.
Sonya’s Elegy
Red and yellow leaves cover the train tracks,
howling wind groans and howls, a sudden cold silence.
A week ago, the green leaves burst in laughter,
music and dance filled the train;
laughter about the upcoming weekend-
DJing, endless scratching of records
from sun down, the moon lighting the sky,
her amber eyes reflect the stars,
her voice, a seranade of summer.
One night, sound held in the city’s landscape
drowned in August, partygoers hum,
car horn’s in a cacophony, yelling a symphony,
she has her friend by her side,
wild laughter as they wait for the train,
while all of Philadelphia slept.
Those crazy kids in the twilight,
the train lights the way.
I never thought there would be a day
where her laughter ceased,
her friends an empty shadow
as they wait for the train;
summer subsides into autumn,
green turns to gold, gold to bare,
I see you singing,
wandering, adventuring,
taking hold of the shooting star,
I can see you forever in the cityscape.
Red and yellow leaves cover the train tracks,
you are the wind wrapping me in warmth.
The Happiness Box Project 