By The Wayside

 
The faces of friends who've gone away
Linger in my memory
Like ghosts of a past that's slipped
Fallen by the wayside

I never needed them
Until they were beyond my reach
Slipped away like smoke
From a fire burnt low and guttering

And now I stand alone
Not by any real choice
But simply by circumstances
That I believe were beyond my control

Drawing ragged breath near the end
And calling out for long lost friends
Hearing only the answering silence
A silence filled with meaning
Not lost on my soul