If we’d been troupe dancers
I’d miss you on the barre
If we’d sung together
I’d miss you in the choir
I’d miss you in ensemble
If we had had bit parts
I’d miss you front of stage
if we had been the stars
But we weren’t
Not Mouse King Toymakers
Not Soldiers and their Sweets
Not Enchanted Creatures
Not Sugar Plum Fairies
So
I’ll miss us in the audience
Sitting in our row
I’ll miss you clapping loudly
After each amazing show
And meeting up for dinner
I’ll miss your quiet laugh
And all the late night secrets
I’ll miss talking of the past
Your memory a blessing
This absence always meant
Your heart missing to mine would form
The Nutcracker’s Lament.
–AJG 2025
Goodbye, my friend.