It's Love, I Will Remember

I knew a man once, knew him Deeply, from the outside in Someone on another continent Who had become a friend. In time, he came to tell me About things that he had lost, But also what he'd gained- And he never counted costs. He'd buried a daughter, And a brother too; He'd done a lot of living Though the years now seem too few. I thought we'd have a lot of time On this marble of blue-green, But I think that he knew better And the future, he had seen. But like a true gentleman, He kept it all inside, For he had the quietest dignity; He had a gentle pride. He saw the good and bad in life, And spoke about his garden; Others might grow petty, mean But his heart would never harden. He made himself stay vulnerable To the lessons he would live, And now it's plain as day to all, He had a lot to give. And although he's gone away now, His words still speak quite clear: I'd like to think that someday soon This world he loved, can hear. ******************* SAL, Paddy I will never forget you