To a Friend

     But I’ve been down so long...
      That the end must be drawing near
                          --Jewel

I heard you, dear friend,
You listened and you saw
The message, like the sun, is true and clear--
There is no room for doubt now or fear--
And I won’t any longer walk away.
I heard you, dear friend,
Each day I prayed
That God would give me strength to realize
The vision that was shining in my eyes,
That so long was hidden in my tears
Through all the pain and all the lonely years.
 

                               March 25, 1999
                            --Alexander Shaumyan