#it was transformative

It's funny, every time I get down

I remember her encouragement

her patience

her ability to seamlessly fit into any circumstance

and accept any behavior, so long as it showed respect.

And she gave me respect in the end,

as if I had earned it

and time really hadn't burned it

with me.

And she gave me respect in the end

and I respected her so much

I gladly cried myself out of it

one crisp afternoon in a Starbucks I had never visited

reached through tire-tracked snow on a shot transmission,

and let her go

under duress, grace, knowing so many stories....

and let her go but not before showing I cared.

If she had been rooming with anyone else

I would have been concerned,

flying off pinwheels—

Instead I was inspired

and realized we had been blessed.

The musicians had asked us if it were acceptable

to go with intuition, flow, would we say yes.

And it didn't even feel reckless. And to be honest I have never said anything remotely like that to any human before or since—