Classmate

A former classmate of my son’s,
A writer with success,
Not long ago gave in to demons
He could not suppress.

Just thirty-two years old, he was,
With wife and son of two,
He climbed up to the roof and jumped,
A desperate thing to do.

I’d heard about it, but today
I saw The Times obit;
His image in the paper
Somehow made it more legit.

How sad for all his family,
For his friends, his son, his wife,
To lose someone who had so much
To live for in his life.

We may lose touch with classmates,
Even those we once called friend,
Yet still it’s hard to hear of one
With such a tragic end.