Red

You died yesterday
In that ditch off of Route 90
Just before mile marker 28
Next to that cut-through.
With all that rain pouring on and around you
And mom and I sitting upright scared
You waited with us until the policeman came
To take us away.

It was a valiant end, my friend
Even curled up and broken in back
You continued to shine and smile,
Assuring us that it would all be ok.

When they told me it was over
I cried.

The first tears I'd let myself shed all day
Were over you and the memories we'd made.
You took my stories, my secrets
To the grave.
All those nights of wild eyes and lies
Will now be only mine to remember and relive.

I feel strangely empty;
As if I left part of my heart
At that S&P between Andover and New London
Becaus I knew
As I walked away from you,
Alone and crumpled
That it would be the last time.