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Dear Neil,
Graduating without you was weird,
And you not being there made it all feel wrong.
Because I had imagined all of us,
You, me and the poets, graduating together and being able to watch each other mature and grow.
But that didn’t happen.
In reality it was just me, Knox, Meeks, Pitts and Cameron who got to graduate together.
We didn’t say a single word to each other,
We only shared a quick look of
‘I guess this is the end’
We in fact hardly talked after Charlie got expelled and Keating let go.
I think it was hard on all of us and we pulled back.
But I think the hardest thing,
Except being woken up by Charlie that December morning, was having to say farewell to Welton
I cried before I had to leave the room that we once shared.
The familiar smell
Of home.
The windowsill you would sit on when reading.
The desks where we would write.
I didn’t want to leave it.
But I also didn’t want to stay.
That evening,
I saw you
Painting the sky in the most beautiful colors,
Reminding me and the poets that you’ll always watch over us and always protect us.
I’ll have to admit,
I smiled.
Because I’m proud of you, Neil
We all are.
I just wish I could see you grow up.
Sometimes I imagine what you would look like when you’re in your twenties,
But I find it impossible
I always end up crying.
But there isn’t a day where we don’t think about you, Neil.
And we’re so grateful to have been able to know you.
You taught me so much and you always included me in the group.
I will forever be thankful for that
And I will never forget the light in your eyes when you were on that stage.
Because You truly taught us to
‘SEIZE THE DAY’
Love,
Todd.