“He who has gone, so we but cherish his memory,

Abides with us, more potent,

Nay, more present, than the living man.” 

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

It seems that death and sorrow

Surround me these cruel winter days

I’ve now lost a special friend of mine

Who loved life in a most precious way

He was one of the few remaining free spirits

In a world for both of us that’s now too small

He was one of the few remaining real cowboys

I think I’ll miss this old pal of mine most of all

He always lived in a log cabin in the woods

Shunning modern life and revering Creation

Studying the many diverse life forms on earth

Learning as much as he could his life’s dedication

He taught me many things about Mother Nature

Our treks together into the wilderness always grand

He was truly a kindred and a very kind hearted spirit

And he truly loved everything natural upon this land

We often sat around a blazing campfire late at night

Swapping tales of animals Indians and the Old West

Until his very last breath he managed to make me smile

He was truly one of the good guys - one of the very best

But now very sadly to me

The wide open spaces are gone

The vast green forests are gone

The wild horses are gone

The old Ojibwas are gone

All the timber wolves are gone

And now my wise old friend is gone

All that’s left for me now

Are my memories of him

And some of the coyotes

That he so passionately loved

And they’ll soon sadly be gone too

Last night I perched in the woods with his treasured old coyotes

Howling our farewells up to our friend in the vast northern skies

Mournfully drinking a toast to the good old days we both loved so

And whistling his favorite cowboy tune with mist in both of my eyes

Adios, My Sage Old Friend, Adios,

Your Earthly Presence I Shall Miss;

May Your Ride through the Heavens

Be Filled with Utter Happiness and Bliss

©2006, Ed Kostro