Friend
Some folks say a rarity:
Left with four and a bit I'm
On the lookout naturally,
Vigilant but not obsessed.
He will be one who won't mislead
Even himself; who for good reason
Will procure from the heart of
Silence courage enough to breach
A solemn promise; won't render his
Strength without distress, without
Reflecting on what means; whose ends,
So schooled is he to feel the way
Insouciance most wounds the self.
Strong and patient? Perhaps...
Knowing that bonds are made from
Earth, sworn and sealed by men
Not saints, distracted by the ego,
Liable to erosion, yet resurrecting
Through the mystery of sacrifice.
To the blooded friend distance
Hardly counts for time. Falling
Leaf is metaphor; shafting light
Unveiling its drift is testament;
Murals in the sky urge majesty:
Whatever the odds surely he'll come.
Before then we rely on him
Each morning to bring the sun.
Edwin Thumboo
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