You...only You

You have the most beautiful blue eyes. You have the most beautiful long, blond hair. Your smile can light up my entire world. You are so kind to everyone you meet. I remember the first time we met. We were volunteering for school. You were looking around you, and I could see in your eyes that you did not see desperate people, in need of help they could not afford. No, you would see people, people with hopes and dreams and wishes. People who could change the world. You saw that these people, who were in need of help, that they too had the power to change the world.

You see the good in everyone and refuse to see the bad. Some consider it naïve, I consider it brave. I think it is brave to be able to see beyond what society has expected you to think and to see the spark in people. I think it is brave to believe that spark can and will light up into beautiful fire who will do good.

You have the ability to talk to people and change their worlds, just as you change mine. You change my life every day by being who you are.

But...everything I said is not the way it seems.

You don't have the most beautiful blue eyes, you had the most beautiful blue eyes. You don't have the most beautiful long, blond hair, you had the most beautiful long, blond hair. Your smile doesn't light up my entire world, your smile used to light up my entire world. You are not kind to everyone you meet, you were kind to everyone you met. I do remember the first time we met. We were indeed volunteering for school. You were indeed looking around you, and I could indeed see in your eyes that you did not see desperate people, in need of help they could not afford. No, you would indeed see people, people with hopes and dreams and wishes. People who could, indeed, change the world. You indeed saw that these people, who were in need of help, that they too had the power the change the world.

So, no, you don't see the good in everyone and refuse to see the bad, you saw the good in everyone and refused to see the bad. Some considered it naïve, but I still consider it brave. I still think it is brave to be able to see beyond what society has expected you to think to see the spark in people. I still think it is brave to believe that spark can and will light up into a beautiful fire who will do good.

But no, you don't have the ability to talk to people and change their worlds, just as you change mine, you had the ability to talk to people and change their worlds, just as you have changed mine. However, you still change my life every day by being who you were.

Today marks one year. One year ago you died. And when you died, you took most of what was mine with you to what lies beyond this world. I cannot stop the tears that form in my eyes now, as I think of you. And my heart still breaks every time I think about what used to be. But I will be strong. I will be strong for you. Because it is what you would have wanted of me. Because I will carry on your legacy. You died so young, you were only eighteen, but I will finish what you have started. I will finish it so your efforts were not in vain. I may not do it perfectly, the way you would have, but I will try with all my heart. And you used to say that that was what counted.

I put her photograph back next to my bed, where a marking in the wood indicated where it has been, and walk away, into the day with tears staining my face. I loved her, and I will not let her go.

N/A The original writing prompt was "Today was the day you died." I didn't want to specify it in the beginning, because it would take away from the dramatic effect, or what you would like to call it. I hoped you enjoy, if you did be sure to let me know. I'd love to hear what you thought of it.