Man down
 
“I wish I could show you,
when you are lonely or in darkness,
the astonishing light of your own being.”
Hafez
 
Ah, James
party buddy
frisbee partner
coastline walker
witty talker
mushroom hunter
mandala maker
plant whisperer
music lover
dancefloor groover
funny and faithful
friend
 
you
beautiful, fragile
(occasionally really annoying)
ever so human being:
 
it’s ages since we last saw one another
but I left you two messages this week
inviting you over for dinner
and you never replied
because you were already dead
 
What kind of excuse is that?
 
I woke this morning long before dawn
with your life and death and friendship and suffering beating within my heart
played “Another One Bites The Dust” in honour
of your dark sense of humour
and your love of a good tune
 
At the break of day
I walked down to the eerily mercurial sea
a bright waning moon hovered high above the cliffs
 
and on the edge of the shore
I let the incoming waves of your shocking departure
unburden my belly of grief
felt the absence of your presence
and the presence of your absence
and the nonsense of it all
 
let them salty tears fall
let them salty tears fall
 
And then
with futile rage
across the oceans of time and space I roared
“James, you ******* twat!
James, you ******** twat!”
 
Because all of our love
and all of our grief
can never bring you back
my friend
can never bring you back
 
 
(peace to you, buddy
perfect peace)