Sept. 24 is always a hard day for me. It’s the birthday of one of my childhood friends who passed away in 2016. I wrote a short poem about him earlier this year called “For Yusef” which Street Sense published.
My world changed forever. I walked off my job and quit right after the phone call. It’s been six years, but it still hurts me like it happened yesterday. I talk to him and think about him every day.
He had the most incredible energy, and the temperature in the room would change whenever he entered. He was so loving and spiritual that he turned every moment into a lesson. He loved music, and, boy oh boy, that man loved his kids more than life itself. Yusef Aziz White was his name. We had known each other since we were six and had the most lovely chemistry and bond. I always wonder if anyone will ever love me again the way he did. He was the first person ever in my life to make me feel beautiful. He told me and showed me every time I saw him.
I spent the day looking at pictures of him and reading a lot of his writing. I tried to just focus on his smile and his all-knowing eyes. I get signs from him pretty often, so I know that he is protecting me and guiding me from the other side, and it gives me comfort.
Happy heavenly 38th birthday, Yusef. I love you.
