I wrote this poem in tribute to a great friend and comrade who has been an encouraging support for the years I have known him. I had the privilege of reading this out to him on his 50th birthday celebration in 2011. To Jeremy 🙏.
He walked almost as if crossing a river
As the large mouth yellow slinkered behind a rock
Elusive as a barnyard owl
In the dead of night with the blackness of sound
Glancing at his image which now
unlike before
kindly looked at him
Greying beard with a solid crop
Old tattered jeans and thinning t-shirt
With a spanking set of new glasses
That eased the reading of his daily paper
Glancing at his image
which previously scowled
He noticed the steely but gentle eyes
Focused yet relaxed
Determined yet jovial
He noticed the wisdom
The sureness of experience
The years of struggle
To find and be self
Time wasted, bridges crossed
Mountains conquered; friendships solidified
Acceptance of self
What lies ahead
Built from a 50-year foundation
Sturdy as an ox in the rice paddy field
With the unfurling of memories
Is but a sureness of age
Dancing to life’s eternal tune
As he walks on by
Seeking another lasting glance
The intensity returns
Not in the image
But in him who now calls the shots
