Note. This poem is dedicated to the memory of Rick. In the end, he fell victim to those who would use his sexuality as a weapon to destroy him and expect God to bless them for that destruction. Rick was a good man.
A Friend Lost
By Bill Beeler (July 1996)
I lost a friend today,
A victim of those who pray.
The news touted all the crap,
Losing the truth under the rap.
His hunger for men and women,
Let some tell him he was broken.
Caught in an unthinking error,
He was open to their terror.
All his family felt his love,
Protecting them like a warm glove.
They were the center of his life,
The core he protected from strife.
Hopes and dreams all in a wreck,
He placed the noose around his neck.
He sought to end their suffering,
With himself as the offering.
Observing his terror, God wept,
and knew it was time he slept.
Come home my child, your pain is gone,
I will lead you to the new dawn.
