Barbara

Barbara never demanded
what wouldn’t be given
for free
she never expected
impossible answers
from people like me

with her head held high
and her feet on the ground
she’d be the only one standing
if the sky fell down

those were the days
when we didn’t look back
at the past
when everything changed
and the changes were
happening fast

and when we needed someone
to help us make sense
when we finally decided to
get off of the fence

there she was
right where we knew she
would be
smarter than we were
that much was
easy to see

she never argued
no negative reply
no hesitation
she’d just look you in the eye

try to remember
what the music
was for
breaking the silence
kicking down the
door

that door was wide open and
we walked right through
I never went back
and neither did you

Barbara knew how to
be who we thought
we should be
“you’re trying too hard”
she would say
to someone like me

then we would laugh
like it was so far out of sight
“you don’t need permission”
I knew she was right