Amicus Certus
Andrew Storrier RIP & Philip Low, two of my best friends at a dinner in 58 Orlando Road
Who stands with you when you’re left without hope?
Who smiles through the tears as you say goodbye? Who blesses your life as if some prince or pope? Who holds your hand as you quietly cry? A friend: the love that often has no name The love which we recognise all the same. Who’s first to laugh at your stupid jokes? Who shrugs aside the fact you’ve lost the game? Who shakes his head at your angry outbursts? Who stands by you even in your shame? A friend the strangers love that stops briefly by But remains inside your heart until you die. When friends are taken well before their prime Their spirits soaring like the whitest dove Who comforts you in this solemn time? Who replaces the loss of such a special love? A friend: as irreplaceable as love lost to you Saddens still sunsets but sweetens morning dew.
Mark Selly RIP - the dearest of friends whom I lost 20 years ago to AIDS & whom I miss still
Who certain waits for you to cross the breach?
That journey’s end we all must walk alone. Who’s there, hand extended, to help you reach That final resting place to which He calls you home? A friend: patient as Penelope who waits to please With ready feasts as if you’re a returning Ulysses.Septuagesima, London, 2013