I still can't believe that Stephen is gone
That I won't run into him one last time
In our lobby in South Beach
Or soaking up the sun on a lounge chair
At the Decoplage
If Stephen had lived for one last day
I would thank him for his gentle kindness
I would hug him just long enough
To transfer a glimmer of his effervescence
His almost childlike enthusiasm
When he would slip a birthday card under my door
Or watch with wonder as the fireworks exploded
Above his head in Lumus Park
The world has lost a gentle, accomplished
Yet complicated soul
Whose spirit resides forever in our hearts
And in the magical sign of a shooting star
My heart breaks for Robert's profound loss.
Kathryn V Natale