The first day we met,
You told me your name.
I took the seat beside you,
And did the same.
You were really warm and welcoming,
I had met a new friend.
And I've considered you as one, always,
Right up, past the end.

Days will keep moving forward,
And years will fly past.
But I see now that I should be treating
Each one as my last.

I hope that when I reach your age,
I'll have grown to be someone like you.
Someone who is happy, friendly and respectable,
As you know, out there, there are few.

I regret learning only little about you,
Now that it's too late, and you're gone.
But what I do know, I'll keep forever,
And I promise to remember you, my dear John.

It will come to deeply hit us,
That you're no longer here,
When we take a look around us,
And see a single, empty chair.

We will all continue to gather.
But it will never be the same.
For me, we have lost all spirit,
To out weekly, Saturday game.

I'm really glad that I met you.
You were significant in my life.
Now, you are free to ascend into Heaven,
Where you can live happily again, with your wife.

I just want to say thank you for the welcome,
And thank you for every weekend.
Rest in Peace, for ever more now.
And farewell, my dear friend.
"27 August 2015"


Dedicated to John McGarrigle .. 2015