In Memoriam

On the Line (for Coach)

Three words
we came to know.

On the line.

Where we stood,
together and apart.

And
whatever we possessed
whatever we lacked
in short time
it was revealed
on the line.

That’s how we came to know each other,
supplanting
the weakness of one
with
the strength of another—
the way good teams do.
We came together,
learning together,
on the line.
The dividing line
that drew us closer.

On the line.

You said
that’s where you lay it.
All of it.

And even now,
through this fog of loss,
I can see the job that must be done.
And though I fear it,
though I would rather not,
I know I must
pour it out.
All of it:
the sorrow and the pain
the stories and the laughter
the gratitude.
Pour it out
where it belongs.

On the line.