As part of the human experience
we are expected to navigate
          a nonnegotiable duality –
          alongside joy there is always loss
and yet when these two domains collapse upon one another
the void in that space feels otherworldly.
Keeping the flame of serenity flickering
in a deluge of despair
seems like a god-like feat
beyond the reaches of my finite human capacity.
Being in the room, sharing air,
in the moment that his life’s breath was extinguished
          has diminished my own
my adjacent mourning
          an acceptable penance
as I continue on, joy intact.

6/22/26
Rest easy, Paul 💜