For Alex
I’ve heard that life is fickle
And I’ve heard that life is cruel
And when I look around, it ain’t hard to believe
That both those things are true
I’ve heard that life is fair and just
But I think that’s a lie
Whoever said that has never had
To watch a good man die
I don’t proclaim to understand
Life’s many checkered byways
And I don’t know why you had to leave
To tread the eternal highways
We didn’t know what to do or say
The night we got the news
So we shared our tears and our memories
We told each other our stories about you
‘Cause that’s the thing about stories
We hold them close to our souls
We nurture those tender memories
Like precious, priceless gold
I remember walking with you
On Wyoming mountains tall as clouds
Eating steak and eggs under a Teton sunrise
Where silence really was the sweetest sound
And I remember soaking up sun
Under clear Arizona skies
Posing for photos with the saguaros
And laughing long into the night
I watched you and Becca say wedding vows
On the shores of Lake Michigan
And I watched those vows stand up to time
True and unbroken unto the end
I remember Telluride, Denver, and Estes too
I remember alpine lakes and vistas grand
Aspen trees and paperback reads
And brimful coffee cups clutched in hand
So that night, we shared our memories
We laughed, and then we cried some more
We toasted your life with Michigan whiskey
You touched us all, my friend, that’s for sure
The next day, we hiked on Narnia Trail
Where we breathed the pine-scented air
And jumped off the rocks into great Lake Huron
Brother, I felt your spirit there
As I looked across the glass expanse
It was hard for me to say
If the water or the sky was a deeper blue
Yes—I felt your spirit that day
And I say life is wonderful
I say life is pure and good
‘Cause that’s the lesson you taught me
In the few years you walked this world
You lived your life so fearlessly
You faced each day without looking back
You didn’t just live—you really lived
And I’m damn proud of you for that
So yes, I think that life is good
Even though it’s often so unfair
And I hope to live the way you lived
So that I can feel your spirit everywhere
Cover photo taken in Grand Teton National Park
The Mad Puppeteer 
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