One for the Corner Boys

I've been trying to write a poem for you for the past hour,
To remind myself of what you taught me,
But the poem kept getting in the way of what I wanted to tell you,
Which is that I love you,
And I hope that you will love each other
In the same way.

And I wanted to end the poem there,
I've said enough, I thought,
But then I thought of how I had asked you
Always to write more,
Never to settle for enough.

It takes work to understand each other,
To bear each other's pain.
These friendships are not forged in one night of grief.
There is more grief ahead,
There will be more opportunities.

An hour will come when you will wonder,
Was this sincere?
Were we just being sentimental?
Would I be less a man to admit that I love you still,
When the shadow of grief fades?

You will offend each other.
You will take different paths.
You will avoid each other's eyes.
You will become selfish.
You will seek independence and distance.

But return to each other with open arms.
Do not cast each other away for more than a single year,
There's too much to lose.
Accept love when you need it from the arms of your brothers,
It is harder for you to take than it is for them to give.