*Continuing with the Friendship theme and the unique possibilities of the word “friend”, I once wrote a poem, “Friend”, which was inspired by Dustin Lynch’s 2017 song, “Seein’ Red”, and, of all things, a neighbor’s outdoor attire. Here is the background:

I had been living solitary in a tiny ski village apartment imagining it was a winter writing place in Vermont, learning how to navigate my daily writing life around cold (exhausting) snow shoveling, tire chains, icy roads, etc. In the months after I had moved from that apartment, that fun, upbeat song became a part of my morning workout routine. For some unknown reason, those past snowy days came to mind and I fondly remembered my friendliest, most cheerful across-the-street neighbor standing outdoors in his bright red coverall waiting for his ride to the ski lift. He will never know how much his bright, friendly manner warmed my heart.