— a little chat with the wisest man I’ll ever know —
I met him today…
the wisest old man
I have ever known
sat with him
for thirty minutes… maybe more
and I talked—
about childhood
about laughter
about us
… L 🪶 J …
I told him
about the brickyard days
dust in the air
and joy in our bones
about Christmas—
the first one I remember
I was four
and Santa brought a train set
and for a moment…
the world
was perfect
… L 🪶 J …
I reminded him
of his smile
that quiet laugh
that never needed to be loud
to be heard
and then…
I told the truth
about the things
I got wrong
the times I wasn’t there
… L 🪶 J …
Because I was a soldier…
with a job to do
that’s what I told myself
but somewhere between duty
and distance
we lost time
missed moments
whole pieces
of each other’s lives
… L 🪶 J …
I spoke of trees
how we felled them
with axe and bow saw
how we drove fence posts
into stubborn earth
I was only five
but it felt like heaven
… L 🪶 J …
And the donkey—
God… the donkey
always escaping
wandering Carlton Hill
and that poor policeman
bringing him back
again…
and again…
and me—
laughing
because somehow
he was always looking for me
… L 🪶 J …
Standhill Road Infants…
that was my school
that was my world
and for a moment
I was back there
small
carefree
whole
… L 🪶 J …
I laughed…
until the laughter
broke
into tears
just a little
just enough
to remind me
I’m still human
… L 🪶 J …
I wiped them away
a little embarrassed
I don’t cry…
not really
but this—
this was different
… L 🪶 J …
And then I told him
how sorry I was
for the day he went away
how I wanted—
needed—
to be there
to say goodbye
… L 🪶 J …
I told him
I wish we had one more game of chess
even if we forgot the rules
even if we hadn’t played in years
just one more moment
across the board
with him
… L 🪶 J …
And before I left…
I made him a promise
… L 🪶 J …
I will visit
often
now I know where you are
… L 🪶 J …
not in houses
not in places
but here—
in the quiet corners
of my heart
… L 🪶 J …
because you may be gone
from this world
but never
from me