Filling in Some Pieces

We rarely get to see our friends
When they are off at work.
We hear about their colleagues
Or their boss who is a jerk.

But picturing their office
Or wherever they’re employed
Isn’t something we spend time on –
(Not unless you’re Dr. Freud.)

So tonight was most intriguing.
I’d occasion to attend
A memorial to Marilyn,
My dear departed friend.

It was organized by workmates,
Many whom she’d known for years.
Though I recognized their names,
We’d had quite different careers.

I heard supervisors’ stories
And from buyers in her field,
Nodding knowingly as all her traits
Were laughingly revealed.

They supplied some missing pieces
Of the life of hers I’d known,
For we each have an impression
Of our friends that’s ours alone.

Though the puzzle’s not completed –
That’s impossible to do –
I increased my understanding
Of the Marilyn I knew.