Our talk at that
turquoise table
has forever
changed me,
Autumn leaves
fading into shadows,
Dusk to night
still rustling in the breeze-
and you listened,
Held me close
While I was crying-
But more importantly
My friend –
you heard me.
That’s before you got
me laughing,
That moment
shook me…
I guess that’s what
happens when
two old souls meet.
But like the season-
my being itself
was shedding,
My emotions
like these leaves
seemed to be on fire,
You sparked something
back to life within me
that had been sleeping,
Like a wise old owl,
you just knew…
My friend,
You challenged me
& tilted my mind’s eye
as though it was a telescope,
Back to the stars,
where Hope lives-
where Grace knows
& Love always does.
You called out &
looked for that belt of his,
as you pointed excitedly
to the heavens
And I took
a – long – deep – breath – in
& grounded my depths,
my thoughts &
my trust in His plan
to my growing roots,
As my own Autumn began.
Gretchen Leary (McIntire) 
Wonderfully poem. I like the line that the friend awoke something in you, challenged you and gave you hope. I could relate to that experience of finding a true connection.