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Only a Phone Call Away
The bent and broken yellow grass,
Constantly being suffocated by people’s shoes
Crunched as we swayed back and forth
In the state fair parking lot,
As my family and I took in the devastating news
A single phone call gave.
Mitchell died.
Suddenly the tilt-a-whirl and ferris wheel
Didn’t sound too appealing.
My cousin had just died!
At only 5 years old, this was the first
Family death I had ever experienced,
So I wasn’t sure what to feel.
On that solemn Monday morning,
Just outside the looming entrance gates,
I didn’t shed a tear.
I didn’t even get choked up.
Because I hadn’t known Mitchell that well.
Only seeing each other at family gatherings
On the rare occasions that my cousin
Comes to mind, I think about how
He passed…
A warm, starry summer night
Playing in a sand pit in his backyard,
Building sandcastles, digging holes, and making tunnels.
Tunnels.
That’s what killed him.
It was hard to believe then,
And it’s still hard to believe now.
I hadn’t talked to him much before,
I still don’t really remember him,
But when I see a sand box,
Our Christmas ornament remembering 9 year old Mitchell,
Or the state fair parking lot,
I remember my cousin.
Although I only saw him a few times,
It’s hard to forget family,
Even if all we exchanged was a smile.
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