I knew he was dying I thought maybe a few weeks left So still and so quiet This man whose laugh made us all laugh The man who always had ideas Where to go, what to do for a laugh Always a laugh Sharer of adventures Partner in crime For thirty-six crazy years Dying before my eyes and Taking much of my life with him
He'd had a massive stroke a year earlier They said he'd die then But he defied them and recovered a lot Proper conversations and learning to walk Then they discovered that he had cancer And here we were five weeks later "How long are you gonna be in here?" I asked He turned his head and looked hard at me "I die next week," he said As though he had an appointment
He got three days, not a week I cried seeing him dying But I was relieved for him when he did Now my old friend is gone And it's a duller world without him
By Phil Roberts
My old friend died a few years ago now and the sadness has long been replaced by happy memories.