Yet another funeral
Another old friend gone,
Not many of us left now
As time grinds on and on.
This was goodbye Big Tony
Of the last five years of
My indisciplined wild life
Before I was rescued by
Marriage and a loving wife.
Days of weekend long parties
Starting Friday nights in the pub
With just snatched hours of sleep
Until a Monday morning cold scrub
To freshen the face, and on to work
To somehow endure the day
Boosted by strong hot coffee
To help it on its way.
Then our lives parted as he
Assumed his new way of life
Travelling the wide world
Absentee husband, lonely wife
While I travelled locally
Away for weeks on end
And so I saw less and less
Of my good living friend.
Over the years we would meet
Nearly always by pure chance
Friends still but parted by
Life's changing circumstance.
Eventually I heard
Just end of lifecare
And all too suddenly
He was no longer there.
Today it was fitting to stand
To remember at his life's end
To think of him for a while and
Say goodbye to my old friend.
