To An Old Friend

Blessed with my Tears…

Went to see an old friend yesterday

I heard that he was real sick

I figured I’d get in and out real quick

Yes, that should do the trick

He sat in his pajamas by the window

His strong body now wasted by the C

A bare shell of the man I’d once known

Man, I wondered how this could be

A trembling hand reached out for mine

I grasped it like I always did before

I saw him winch before I realized

The pain he felt and so much more

We talked about the things we'd done

Laughed at our tall stories of the past

I forgot the time as minutes turned to hours

And evening darkness shadows cast

His wife gave him a shot of morphine

Which would soon take him off to sleep

I stood and held his hand once more

Trying hard not to let him see me weep

Most know I am not a religious man

but last night I said a silent prayer

To our Lord who watches over all

In hopes that he might hear

"Please take away his suffering Lord,
let him hear the trumpets call,

let all his sins be forgiven

and let him stand real tall,

let the Angels guide him home again,
let St Peter read his name...
Oh Lord please take care of him
when he rides that Glory Train."