Back in April, my dearest friend, Donna Anctil, passed away after a long struggle with an illness. Since her death, I’d been struggling with a meaningful way to say goodbye, only recently settling on this series of six poems as a tribute and a ritual. Six because the number symbolizes seeing, and over twenty years, if nothing else, Donna and I learned to see each other clearly, knowing full well the impossibility of seeing another human being completely. Each day, I published one of the poems and also stacked six stones in my garden in memory of Donna. Next year, the last of these poems will be published in my collection of poetry, The Long Body That Connects Us All. The collection is dedicated to her.
Rich
Rich Marcello 