The cries were quiet and stifled,
Though I wished they would just flat out cry.
I wished that they would scream at the sky,
Loud and forlorn, so that they could just move on.
That was what I wished I could do.

Her father spoke about various things,
All happy and upbeat, as if she wasn’t gone.
But I knew the truth, all too well.
She was gone; it was out of my power.
All I could do was hope she was in a better place.

I remembered the taste of her homemade cookies,
The first time she made them. They had tasted horrible,
But I could feel all the hard work and effort
She had put into them to make them absolutely amazing.
Too bad she never got the chance to make her very best.

Being here now, and wishing she would come back,
I never realized how selfish that wish really was.
I never knew the pain she went through,
Or the suffering she had to deal with.
I never knew that she was cursed in a way no one could help.

But, I got to be there when it happened.
I watched as she left us all behind.
No one else was with me, just me and her final goodbyes.
She didn’t wish for anything normal, just one request of me.
“Please don’t be sad, always smile after I leave.”

I looked at the steps to her coffin,
Which looked gigantic,
Even though they were actually unusually small.
I dreaded to climb them, dreaded to see her face.
For I knew I would cry, finally realizing that my best friend was gone.

Her face was pale, as if she had seen a ghost,
And she appeared to be sleeping,
Like she always was. Sleep was one of her favorite
Past times. We always would claim to stay up all night,
But she would always fall asleep first.

Tears threatened to fall and I knew
That I couldn’t keep my promise.
Closing my eyes, I imagined her smiling,
Telling me everything was going to be alright.