The first time that I met you
You impressed me with your smile
It started off your laughter
That still echoes in my mind
But it wasn’t just the laughter
Nor the smile that held my gaze
It was the sparkle in your eyes
That said “these may be crazy days”
Your laughing gaze could penetrate
The coldest of our stares
And you challenged us to see the fun
Hinting “he will win who dares”
Just for that briefest moment
Before commitment comes
You shared ‘genetic humor’
From the father to the son
And then you’d gone; departed
Marriage, family, kids and wife
Perhaps your dreams got buried
In the career, mortgage, wife?
The next time that I saw your smile
Some ten years down the track
It looked the same; just aged a bit
Wrinkled, wanted and waxed
The laughter still hung in the air
Punctured with a cough
But heh! That twinkled eye was there
You could still pull it off
I can’t tell when the fire burnt out
It must have been one spring
The twinkle in the eyes grown dull
But the laughter still could sing
I put it down to just old age
It catches up with all
What I hadn’t realized this time
Was you’d given it your all
The show goes on; the lights must burn
Regardless of the soul
We watched your lights keep shining
Even though your heart was cold
Who knows when we’ve had enough
It’s just hard to say goodbye
Especially when your master card
Was that twinkle in your eye
We stood around your grave that day
Confused, withdrawn and mad
You’d smiled and grinned and laughed a lot
But we’d never seen you sad
They say that memories fade with time
Well maybe yours; but sure not mine
When people say your name out loud
I see your face in any crowd
You may have left this mortal coil
But you’ve left some remnants of your toil
A laugh from generations down
Can still be heard when guards are down
From father, Son and Holy Ghost
The laughter echoes through our hosts
You still are missed at special times
I hope you smile and laugh sometimes.
davo
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