As we sat at dinner, Kerrin asked, "So you wore orange today"...
A simple question, a bit unusual and so I asked "Why orange"
I could feel the emotive heat eminating from his person,
the uneasiness with what needed to be said
the tension built and then the struggled, broken response..."favorite color"
for the first time in many years, he filled up and cried
the intensity of the hurt, visible, passionate and impactful
we all stopped looking at him and looked at our plates
silence,
but for the weeping he could not control
his sadness was contagious
I too, felt my own emotional temperature gage rise
before I knew it, a tear was invading my dinner plate
a quick glance to see if anyone else noticed
and I saw we were all affected
the words were captive in our throats
balled up and stifling any consolation we could express
as he wept, we grieved with him
nothing could be offered but our universal solemnity
so young to have to experience the passing of a classmate and friend
inexplicable,
he was a good kid with a common disease
complications, coma and then
a single color is worn to show support and hope
for a life that would cease simultaneously,
as the school beemed in orange
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