Ahead of me
In growth of beard, in height
Buddhist teachings and insight
My best friend knew more than me
About music, about psychedelia and good alcohol
About making instant coffee taste more continental
About making love, too — he was certainly well
Ahead of me.
My best friend broke bread with me
Passing on willingly a wealth of young experience
I had missed or which in my innocence
May have seemed dubious or sinful
Knowledge for future use or reference
Wrapped in his unforgettable smile
For me to take or leave — all that he had learned
Ahead of me
Behind John Lennon glasses, a Bob Dylan corazon
Muscled its way through lows and highs
Bowie and Renoir assisting its beating
A caring husband to two wives
And a young widower once,
Who survived cancer expected to kill him off
But he continued to live newfound lives
Ahead of me
At one time, my life existed ahead of his
For just over a hundred days
Prior to his arrival on this earthly place
But the mortality cliché that some apply to the good
Won its disreputable bet eventually
And he, the best, perhaps predictably
Passed on to his final iteration
Ahead of me