He was a rock he was my core I see him standing by the door of every building I go in or out of still

He was a joy he was the boy he was the one not to annoy who sought mischief every day that he was here

He was the laughter and the tears he was the one to suppress fears he never asked for anything in all his years

He was the brightest and the bleak he could cut you at your peak he never doubted or deciphered when you speak

He loved his laughter and his wine and even when it was his time he never looked around for solace from the world

He left a hole behind so vast as no other could be cast that could summon up the measure of the man

He was my brother and my blood he was my rudder in a flood he never judged or steered but guided gently on

TJB – 4th Jan 2025 (six years since he passed)