To My Friend Bill

( a poetic response to "Sound of Hollyhocks" by Hugh Garner )

I wake up in the morning 
see the sunshine coming through the curtain
the color of the sky is just like the day I first met you
I know that when I turn my head I will see you lying on your bed
and you will say "Good morning!" to me just as usual
but when I turn my head I can only see the white wall 
where did you go?

 I walk on the streets 
see the rain washing the ground
the color of the sky is just like the day you left
I know that I will see you in the next corner
and you will say "Hello!" to me just as usual
but when I get there I can only see the hollyhocks
where did you go?

Dear friend
you went to such a far place 
that I have to use the rest of my life to get there
but I'm not afraid 
because you are there waiting for me