Just a few weeks back an old school friend died in extremely sad circumstances.
I thought briefly that I might be able to write a requiem, but I see now that I can't.
Whatever I produced would be a poor imitation of the poem in the title. It was the first thing that came in to mind when I heard the news, even while I was still listening on the phone.
Dear Bryan Wynter
I love it for the voice: matter of fact, but still wondering why a person can be gone, yet we feel them close.
Bryan Winter was a real person, and here you can hear the background to what I think is a marvelous poem. You will also be able to hear the poet's own voice.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01f117r
The circumstantial detail: the blue hat, the long legs, the foxglove, the church: wormed their way inside my head the first time I read the poem.
The complete poem is here.