For Friends Absent But Not Forgotten08/13/09 ©Leona M SeufertWe were a tight group of six.Joe vanished in that dust cloud in 2001.Abe had a heart attackDuring recovery efforts in lower Manhattan.Paula appeared a year later but her mind did not.Sam was our comforter Until the cancer ate his body and took his life.Estaban is a bit crazy. PTSD sometimes takes him away To dark places I refuse to go to.Me?? I sit and drink my wine On this anniversary day, 3287 days later. Raising my glass, I salute my friends, Absent but not forgotten.