Left behind. A poem about drugs and death. Poetry and poems to make you go "ah-ha".

Full Name:             Heather Ridler

Who do you want the poem written for?: Jay Collins

Why do you want the poem written ?: Jay died June 14, 200l. He was taking drugs and tried to jump onto a moving train, slipped, fell underneath, and was run over.

Key Messages:          we miss you, you are loved,

Memorable Moments:     Jay was always smiling and laughing. He would constantly be making jokes. Even in the saddest moments, Jay could make you laugh. He was the truest friend.

Other Comments:        I think it is important to remember Jay's son Jaden, his mother, Monica, his brother, Adam, and all of his friends and relatives. I plan on giving this to his mother. She asked for stories about Jay so that she could give them to Jaden when he gets older. I want to mention how much it hurts that he died for something as stupid as drugs but I don't want it to say that explicitly. What I mean is I don't want it to say "Your death was stupid because of drugs." I think it is important to allude to it though.

Style:                 Sad, with a happy tint; we know he's in a better place

Package Type:          Economy

Sometimes lessons in life,

can be so very, very hard,

they leave you feeling tired and weary,

and more than a little battle scarred.

Jay was always smiling and laughing,

he always had a new joke to tell,

and now we have to be the narrator,

because we have his tragic story to tell:

He took a few turns along the way,

and one turned out to be a dead end,

and now we've lost a loved one,

now we've lost a true and treasured friend.

Sometimes there's no rhyme nor reason,

and that's the way it seems to me,

because Jay will now find his happiness,

he'll find his better place to be.

and we miss him so very much,

we were all blessed by his presence,

we were all moved by his tender touch.

Even in the saddest of moments,

(and he simply did it - I don't know how),

but he could always bring a smile,

(and Jay, I hope you're smiling now).

Jaden misses his father,

some days he just looks so sad,

and life will never be the same again,

it's going to be hard without his Dad.

Monica and Adam miss him too,

he's left a gap that'll never be filled,

but we'll put our lives back together again,

very slowly, brick by brick, we'll rebuild.

Jay's death was a tragedy,

it really has been a tragic waste,

and like the bitter pill that's hard to swallow,

it leaves an awful after taste.

So I hope this message gets home,

and his death hasn't been in vain,

because I'd hate anybody else,

to have to go through all this, all again.

You only get one chance on this earth,

and I hope that line stays in someone's mind,

because the very real tragedy,

is what happens to those that get left behind.

Allen - This looks great. I was worried that I didn't give you enough
information but it seems I have. I thought I should mention that Jay was 20
when he died.

You may publish this. I really want Jay's story to get out so other people
don't have to go through what I and the rest of his friends and family did.
As far as I'm concerned, there's no need to change the names.

If it is OK with you, I'd like to recite this poem in a class of mine, of
course I will give you due credit, I just wanted to make sure it was OK with
you.

I think the poem is great. If the fact that he
was 20 changes anything for you, go ahead and revise but I think it's great.

Thanks so much
Heather