Due North
by Michael Doyle

In these days
When everything has gone frothy
In a million ways
We need those around to be worthy

That's who my friend had always been
The one I knew was good for the win
Ever since back in high school
I knew her to be nobody's fool

Time had passed and slipped on by
We had lost track, her with her smile
And me, with my proverbial sigh
She held onto her style

And when we met again a lifetime past
We were still the same as the last
She said I had the same smile she recalled
I just looked and searched for words that stalled

She was still her but fighting cancer
And I was still searching for an answer
It was good that we connected on Facebook
So that she couldn't turn and look

To see a tear in my eyes as I raised her prayer
Asking the good lord to be more than fair
We kept it simple as we traded quips
Everything would be alright, was the lie on my lips

I looked in on her, watching her progress
How calmly she faced life's ongoing test
She said she had gained a paddleboarder's perspective
And her demeanor seemed all the more reflective

How brave she is and has always been 
She was the type who kept cool since way back when
And I was the one constantly searching for an answer
If there was a way to beat it, we'd beat this cancer

Paddleboarding was her peace to keep things real
And hers was a soul that knew how to stay still
The crisis that was hitting her maybe it was surreal
But I know her soul and can guess what she'd feel

The calm, clear water would give way to her glide
As she found her time and her challenge in stride
Life is like this, wherever we are, there we are
Paddling due north, all to reach that true north star

Mindfulness in all of its focus and concentration
And as a friend, I look on with a degree of fascination
She had once said that I had not changed at all
And she is still that girl that I'll always recall

I had been new to the place when we met in the hallway
And now we've reconnected, and it's as if only yesterday
Come Hell or high water, joyous laughter or cancer
She always awes me, and I'll be the boy in search of an answer

(c) March 24, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved