The Friend for Life by Bob Atkinson

The Friend for Life

(c) 2012 Bob Atkinson

seems not long ago we ran

with the summer winds

memories carried to adulthood

making lifelong friends

going strong upon the roads

which sent us to our dreams

always looking back to those

with whom we shared our schemes

Sofie and the sailor's kids

grew here as did the trees

on Perry Road at Loveland

where Don hid his Mopars neatly

I remember Dave

running down the street

for being close to Ruthie Brown

being chased by those irate

looking for his head to pound

brothers, cousins and friend

holding firm in their resolve

to really smash him big

jumping into Don's car

Dave pushed Don out the door

Don watched them pound on the hood

'till he couldn't take in any more

threw them down on the pavement

“don't care if you kill that man

but leave my Dodge alone you guys

or else I'll kick your a$$”

the nights we spent in Buena Park

in the morning at 3:00 am

cruising down the alley ways

looking for old dented sedans

in '67 nature called

that fickle sort of friend

took the young ones in their prime

sending them to Vietnam

left his Newport with me

that cherry '53

with leather seats and windows

powered down for summer breezes

Shirley wrecked it with a crunch

when Batman I was watching

smashed the hood up to the windshield

playing grab butt with his girlfriend

spent time in Asia on a boat

with radio in hand

left a boy without a rifle

came back a full grown man

before he left he had me come

to his night shift on the dock

to drive a forklift on the concrete

of the corporation boxed

my early days back from Europe

with new wife and a son

his help for us tremendous

as we started our own run

his dad and he helped us clean

and paint that old porched house

the sailor fixing plumbing

in the kitchen and the bath

then he got me a job

with him at the factory

where he drove the flatbed beast

I made cardboard cartons daily

then we moved on to South Gate

touching base now and then

and giving nods forever when

on the telephone with friends

then in the last few years

he and Johnny and me

spoke sometimes, spent a night

reflecting past memories

at the reunion of the classes

our school on Agra way

how we passed over caution

while I was making failing grades

we talked of those old times

we spoke of things we'd done

cleaning streets of abandoned cars

for parts and gas money runs

sad to see his passing

he was always so calm

didn't seem to be excited

or flippant as I was

his demeanor always even

his temper set just right

his soul on its way to heaven

in darkness one starlight

in memory of Don Parrott

March, 2012

"a friend for life and beyond”