LOUIS SMITH
Paired With: Gary Leonard Colasanti
Our Finale
Louis Smith is a sophomore, biology and civic engagement student, at Syracuse University from Seneca Falls, NY, with deep-rooted morals in advocacy, empowerment, and exploration. Like Gary, Louis is an avid snowboarder, extroverted friend, and family-focused individual who embodies Gary’s “zest for life.” He hopes to continue his education at medical school and become a pediatrician to inspire and serve the next generation of youth in America. He looks back and acts forward in Gary’s memory.
Grief grips our lungs, unbreathable.
Grief grips our heart, unbeatable.
We are paralyzed by the depths of sorrow
drowning under the weight of permanent void.
The cease of a loved one’s life,
leaves us as breathless as their lifeless body.
The thoughts and prayers that escape us
are filled by those of friends and family.
Yet nothing eases the grip of death
on our deserted and desolated days
of despair and dejection
except for our dreams of distraction.
Grief grips our muscles, unmovable.
Grief grips our brain, unthinkable .
Grief is a fist, clenched around our
vital organs of life, liberty, and happiness.
Upon death, the finality of life
is felt, feverishly and ferociously
as the shadow of love and flash of memory
flickers like their laugh or smile.
259 people free-fell to death on 12/21/88.
Memories, tears, and love rained with them
as grief soddened the permanent history
of preemptive misery.
Among them was Gary Leonard Colasanti,
a gregarious gift and curious connector,
a zest of color amongst the monochromatic greys of life,
a joy, simply and abundantly.
He lives on in the laughs of his friends,
kindness of his family, and curiosity of his classmates.
The act of death is life’s finale, but as the curtains close
we are welcomed into the permanent memory of love.
The absence of grief is the absence of love
as neither can exist without the other.
Grief grips us forever,
but so does love.