For Erik

"Three dogs at a party on a boat at night."
The water was calm and the moon shone bright.
Not a care in the world. Not a care, not a care.
Just three best friends with a breeze in their hair
And a song on their lips,
As the waves gently rolled,
And a glimpse of a heavenly peace in their souls.

Content for a moment, content for a night,
For a brief, flashing second the world was all right.
Lazy camaraderie, checkers and stars,
Newspaper hats, and a banjo guitar.

You understood all when I showed it to you,
As I spoke of it wistfully, wishing it true.
Nineteen and restless, the world then so new,
But you knew then exactly what you had to do.

Five years have passed, and oh my, how they've flown!
But so much has happened, so much in me has grown.
Yet, despite changes, new worries, and different tears,
Your thoughtfulness stayed with me these last five years.

A simple book called up from my childhood
Meant more with your notes only we understood.
This gift, so much greater than any before
Or any since up to this year twenty-four.

Sometimes I go back to that time and that place--
All the hurts long have healed by time and by grace.
In place of the storm, now, a fond memory,
Quiet and tranquil like the three dogs at sea.