Cheryl Townsend remembers....

When she walked into my bookstore for the first Alley Way Reading, I knew her instantly. Crazy, wild, raven hair.. curled and glistening like sex. She was thin as the cigarettes she smoked and smiling, smiling, smiling.. We talked, we laughed, we spoke poetry and years soon grew into a love beyond words.

When she confessed her cancer, it was only as an excuse...she never wanted sympathy, she never really told me the truth. In letters, she laughed away the latest spot, the last chemo, the painful hands. In letters she was just sorry she couldn't do more. It was always "us" and never herself. She gave...even when she had nothing left to give with.

  Cait...you are a beacon that will never fade
           you are laughter that will never subside
           you are energy that still exudes
           you are beautiful always in my memory

Tonight, I'm going to strap one on, smoke myself a joint, drink whatever I can find and let my own hair fly its own course...
I'm gonna fly on out there
and hug you goodbye

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