Casey and I always connected through our love of language. She was a thoughtful, creative and charismatic person and these qualities- as well as many others unique to her- came across not only in her writing but in the spoken word she used to make so many feel cherished and important.
My favorite memory of Casey happened a few nights ago. I was laying in bed and all of a sudden I picked up my phone & started writing in my notepad. It ended up being a poem. This poem is in honor of life, in honor of death, but most importantly, I wrote this poem in honor of Casey because I feel as though we wrote it together. So Casey… this is for you:
“How precious this all is. Time… too short for us to change, too long for us to stay the same. Where do we go? What do we do in a time like this? Together, fixed here on this moving orb of sky & land & sea. Prisoners, side by side, in our own bodies. Seconds to minutes to hours. Are we stuck though? Waiting patiently for an answer? Or an end? Or maybe a beginning? Perhaps, the first time we realize life is fleeting is the last moment we are trapped. Our bodies will release the hold. The constant need to understand. The pressure to know. Feel with both hands – fingertips. Ridges fill with the soil that is in each of us. Connected. See with both eyes- Light refracts upside down, but does it matter? Marvel & bend, in awe of the view. Inspired. Breathe thoroughly- feel each contraction of your chest. Smell the air of life & love. So fragrant & unique! Changing every moment, for us. Aware. Love freely with a warm, beating heart. A friend. A foe. A soul mate. A stranger. Yourself.