an ode to you, JTE ♡
Oh, Justin.
Just heard the news. My heart heaved the moment it all sunk in. The tears flowed as soon as your sweet voice touched my ears again. Oh, please, no.
Oh, Justin.
I remember the night I met you, many moons ago. It was just over a decade ago, a mid-week side-show out in the sticks. An intimate affair complete with dim lighting, creaky stairs and red velvet curtains. I bumped into you before the show, backstairs en route to the bathroom. I gasped, you giggled. A little star-struck, I stuttered some sort of salutation as you watched on in endearing amusement. You thought yourself small-time, I thought the world of you.
A spirited show ensued, a small room of eager listeners, the crowd emulating your engagement. The cheeky glances, the in-jokes, the harmonising on-stage was evidence enough that you were someone very special.
Oh, Justin.
It was post-show, while my sister and I were scheming ways we could meet you, you were already cheekily slippin’ and slidin’ in next to us. Our faces gleamed in the lowlight glow and the glory of story-sharing. We idolised you. Whiskey-soaked and throwing banter across the booth, we forgot who you were for a minute – the emerging artist, on the rise to real recognition – to us, you were simply a newfound friend. We had the absolute time of our lives. Your humour, your humility, your cheeky crooked grin. The absence of arrogance alleviating any doubts we had about you as an artist, as a person. A true gentleman. That night forever etched in my mind as a fond memory of one of my favourite artists becoming a fast-friend.
Oh, Justin.
I saw you play every time you visited us. Every time you crossed the vast Pacific. Every time. I saw you when you were in good spirits. I saw you when you were struggling. I saw you when you were on fire. Your talent, oh Justin, your talent. Raw, endearing, ever-evolving. Throughout it all, your talent never wavered. Your struggles, perhaps, sometimes more evident than others, but I would always be there, nevertheless. Knowing that the real you was trapped underneath it all, and hoping that the real you could find your way back out again.
Oh, Justin.
I’ll remember you as simply a gentle being. One I was fortunate enough to share a few precious hours with. A humble, gentle soul endlessly searching for ways to keep your spirits high and your mind at ease. Forever battling your own demons, it seems. In the tiny window of time that I had to know you, you left a grand impression on me. Grand enough to sting me with your loss, now a decade later, damn devastated by your absence. The total heartbreak felt by those who know and love you the most, unimaginable.
Oh, Justin.
No more slippin’ and slidin’, sweet friend. It seems you’ve found that higher ground you were forever searching for, finally able to rest in eternal peace.
With love,
forever your fast friend,
Bella ♡
“Maybe only a moment, maybe the time of your life”
