"As I Listened Through The Cemetary Trees"

One of my students passed away yesterday.

It's rather frightening, really, because the kid was only an 11th grader (or going to be one, that is).

He wasn't conventionally nice, as he could be somewhat mean and cruel when the urge took him; but somewhere underneath the heavy metal exterior he attempted to present to everyone was a young man who genuinely cared about his friends and fellow students.

It upsets me, especially since I remember all the things he and I had been talking about and planning at the end of the school year. He was enthusiastic about the coming year, really looking forward to school in both a social and an academic way. He was one of the few kids I felt comfortable letting read my webcomic, knowing he wouldn't be offended by it or find it stupid or tell his parents about the bizarre crap one of his teachers kept putting up on the internet.

And now he's gone. So suddenly. I'd only just gotten to know him, and now no one will have further opportunity for that.

Rest easy, my friend. You will be missed.

~chuck