Emeritus

We began as one,
Body, you and I,
In childhood we grew
And your pain was mine;
I saw the world through
Your eyes and fingertips,
I loved and hated
Through your mouth.

In school we drifted
And ambition outpaced
Your evolution;
Books and ideas,
Ancient glory and the love
Of Provence
Were for me alone;
You became a covered altar
For my passions,
The enameled clay
That passed liquor
For my reveries.

So! Old friend
You have caught up this late
And too late,
Except for the final struggle;
For the lands we discovered
Years ago
Are reduced to spadefuls
To cover us.

How much I ignored you
In my study for no good cause;
I wish we could walk in the rain
(you so loved the rain)

This death will hurt
You more than I,
For you loved life
Much more than I.