For Rick

A poem I wrote for a very special man I met in Canada..

I once poured a man a beer

as he sat by the bar

Many thoughts in his head

many more in his heart

He’d greet me ‘hello you’

as I sat down the brew

and we’d share a smile

as he rested a while

The stature of a soldier

he carried a khaki hat

and a long wooden cane

propped up where he sat

As I counted pennies and quarters

those wise eyes would watch

And see something beyond

the old bottles of rye and scotch

He saw days that were past

perhaps those that are to come

He saw rows of cold roses

and hot sand under sun

Mostly he saw faces

sometimes, he saw mine

as I placed a hand upon his

and shared a moment in time

‘It’s not a linear thing’

he often reminded me

and it brought me some small comfort

when I travelled across the sea

It means I can relive those moments

whenever I so choose

And in doing so I will

forever remain with you