Why Did You Go Before Me? – A Poem

I received this poem from a Ed Mann.  Ed is a grieving dad that lost his son to suicide just over a year ago.  Thank you to Ed for sharing this poem with us.

Why did you go before me?
By Ed Mann

Why did you go before me, asked the father of the son
And is it vain to mourn a legacy
built of hopes and dreams forever left undone?
Was it written in the stars?
Was it meant to be?
Or did you simply falter?
And do you cry like me?
A shining star among us
or a beggar and a thief?
Do you know the pain you caused?
Do you see my grief?
I never stopped loving you, and thus I never will
A star so bright and full of life
Your music fills me still
Yet now I’m strangely different
than I ever was before
Grounded and yet so willing
to step beyond the door
Why did you go before me?
Why did you take your life?
Was hopelessness your passage?
Or was it sacrifice?