I Almost Cried

A poem written on the night I went to my friend's senior piano recital.

I almost cried
when I saw him
take the stage
and bow
to the thunderous applause
that was all for him.

I almost cried
when he began to play
and I realized
he is no longer the boy
he used to be
but a man
ready to take on
the world.

I almost cried
when his fingers
moved
across the keys,
ripping and tearing,
manipulating my soul
with every note
every chord.

I almost cried
when I looked around
at the faces of my friends
awestruck
and breathless
because they never knew
his gift.

I almost cried
when I saw
the empty chair
to my right
where his soulmate
should be,
and I knew that both he
and she
felt the gap
in space
in time
which separated them
now
more than ever.

I almost cried
when I recognized
the last chord
in the last song
because I knew
this time
could never come again.

I almost cried
when I saw him stand;
watched him bow;
heard the applause
all for him
and his gift.

And I almost cried
because I felt
the power
of this moment
in his life,
and because I was there
to share in it
with him.