A Friend

He comes, then goes as he pleases—
An adventurer at heart.
A long life lived fully:
A navy man, a globetrotter,
He's seen a few things
And knows how the world works.
Spinning yarns tall and dark
Admired and remembered by all.

I, a newbie, wandered haplessly
Into the world of writing stories
Hardly knowing what I was good at.
We met almost immediately,
In September, in fact,
When he reviewed a story of mine
With words of praise plus hearty, sensible criticism.
Having been around far longer than I
Encountering more drama than I dreamed of at the time,
He expressed gentle surprise when I responded kindly
And our friendship flourished from there.

I know him well by his words:
Straightforward, old-fashioned, genteel
Dealing with grim, sordid subjects tastefully,
Narrating with keenly studious details.
Steampunk, horror, mystery are his elements.
Our preferences synced;
I shared many a story with him
And he with me.
His awards decorate those of my works he enjoyed the most: an honor.

We chatted at length, in forums and such
Always a gentleman, he humored my quirks;
I'm sure I acted quite silly sometimes.
Eventually, he made his exit once more
As drama swirled around us through no fault of our own.
Leaving me unhappy, but not empty-handed;
A gift he bestowed, a treasure I keep
An open manuscript of a draft novel I'd admired
Which appeared ever so briefly in his port.
His entrusting me with it is deeply touching.

I remember him with fondness
Each time I write a story
Brimming with action, excitement:
Characters who come alive vividly.
I say "Jack will love this one."
I wait for the day he returns
When I can show him these tales
And remind him he's got a friend here.

Lines: 46. Words: 296.
Written for "RWB Presents: WDC 24th BD Poetry Event " 
Click here   for Jack Tyler's published work on Amazon.