One Step From the Edge

Gary

He came to see me where I work,

“Could I talk to you when your work is through?

No one else will listen to me,

But I knew I could count on you,”

Gary was a straight A student,

Not a clown like me,

He worked hard to get a scholarship,

That was plain to see,

The following day he would travel,

To his appointment to the naval academy,

He told me this was what he wanted,

But he mentioned it so casually,

After an hour of conversation,

He admitted this was his father’s choice,

Gary was stressed, under duress,

His objections he could not voice,

I wondered if this was his only way,

He could talk and slowly vent,

For the conversation was going nowhere,

Or I missed an important hint,

His reticence about the academy confused me,

As he pondered about right or wrong,

Little did I know Gary would hang himself,

Before the night grew long,

Richard

Richard’s dream was to be a policeman,

He mentioned it often when we drank,

No one else cared to listen,

Their eyes were empty and blank,

Richard’s girlfriend left him for another,

He took it personally that she needed more,

A policeman didn’t make enough money,

So she walked quickly out the door,

Richard got a job far away,

Apparently achieving his goal,

But when there was no one he could talk to,

One bullet left a big hole,

How could I have helped these confused friends,

They were so tightly wound,

I could not hear what they desperately wanted,

I could not release the fears they found,

I’ve decided that each person I meet,

Lives a life one step from the edge,

Each kind word, smile, or thought I give,

Will come with my pledge,

If one person feels he walks alone,

Without love’s encircling arm,

That person may have no way,

To keep himself from harm,

 I am willing to be strong and wise,

And I pledge to do my best,

What he says can then be heard,

As he puts me to the test,

Although I’ll do what I can,

To help someone in need,

It takes a community to pull together,

When somebody bleeds,

For each of us lives in a community,

Connected by words, hearts, and smiles,

And the more we share the love within,

The more life becomes worthwhile.