Not Tonight

Those long rides home from where ever the sky was clear and the roads were dry, is not going to be the same tonight. You see my friend isn’t there beside me like he was countless times before in the past. Not tonight. No nod of the head to say “life is good" or "who’s got it better than us.” Not tonight. That friend, that brother I met a few years ago enriched my life tenfold. Side by side we’d ride for hours knowing if either of us needed each other, day or night, they would be there but not tonight. One more ride, one more ride. Not tonight. Not tonight. I’ve lost a part of me tonight in that little room in the back where he lied in bed reaching deep down to take that last breath wishing I could help him with a lifetime more. Life lost a good man tonight, a good soul. One more breath, please one more breath. Not tonight.

John M. Vilardi