Goodbye, Brett

Brett had a chuckle that went well with his smile. Sitting at his computer listening to all that went on in the room, periodically it would erupt.

Heh heh, he would chortle, and if you looked over at him, you'd see a wide grin on his face.

He was always smiling, although something about him made you think that there was sometimes something else going on inside. He clearly worked hard to put a good face on it, and he succeeded.

The last time I saw him, Brett was sitting at a desk in a room full of computers, three rows of them extending to the far wall. Sitting at a monitor near to the door, positioned so that he could see folks come and go, he noticed me and called out my name. We hadn't seen each other for years. He shook my hand firmly as his smile crept across his face and leapt over to mine.

Brett died the other day, sitting at the monitor at the job he loved so much. They don't know why. He was too young to die so soon.

I didn't get to see him often, but knowing that he is gone, I will miss that grin and those chuckles and the sincere happiness he radiated whenever he said hello.

Goodbye, Brett.

8:43:28 PM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []  

Do Not Ask

Do not ask me to talk to you, for I must not. I must not open my heart. I must not speak.

Because banners are waving in the wind.
Because patriots are on the prowl.
Because these are difficult times.
Because the lawyers have no standing.
Because the courts have no jurisdiction.
Because they are listening to way we say.
Because I am afraid.

So do not ask me to talk to you.

8:35:53 AM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []