Jerry

I once knew a Jerry

We met once long, long ago

In a field of Cynthia and berry

It was spring but with winter’s blow.

The air was crisp as the dew drop

I stared at him and him at me.

Flowers of red flames heard from above with a loud pop

Residue came down around us with a constant rain of debris

It was a spectacle like no other.

We knew each other without ever speaking

He was a man; a lover; a son; a father and a brother

All of which he carried on in his being.

No man knew him better than I

We stood opposite each other in our own colors

He in black and I in white ordered to say goodbye

For we were just numbers

As we enclosed the distance

Our breathing in unison

Hopes of peaceful coexistence

Our minds had spun.

Our handshake was hammered steel

Our introductions were muffled in harsh grunts and screeching

We were locked until one of us would keel

And forced to the other beseeching.

Jerry was a strong man

But I the faster

Two of us entered that empty span

Though only I would hear again the sounds of laughter.

We met once more many years later

In a field of stone and holly

I looked at him and at me through eyes of aster

If not for fate, we could have been friends gladly

I once knew a Jerry

Who was a good honest soul

A man who I’d share a cup of coffee

But here I stand, and there he lay; Me on land and he in a hole.