Jim James Ayer Good bye, My Friend It’s so hard to say good bye, So many things left unsaid and done, Broken hearts and tears undried. So many things yet to do, Life’s patchwork quilt hangs empty on the wall. Food sticks in the throat. Kayaking adventures on the lake and hunting in the woods. Pool games yet to play, gardens yet to grow. Swimming at the Y, soaking in the morning sun, Stories of warm, magic mountains and gazing at the stars. Tony must be the feline king, not falling down the stairs. Life’s bare threads unraveling, before my very eyes. “I am Wonder Woman”, or so I quipped, But even so, you slipped away. Life forces sucked into a plastic jar. Scattered in the silent breeze, Ashes of things once new. Dead silence where there once was Laughter. Memories of you. Tears replace my timid smile. My mind recoils from society, As dark clouds gather there. But life goes on, or so they say, So I collect the broken fragments of my life, And try to fix them there. But when I’m through, There’s a hole that is left behind, Which can only be filled by you. As I trudge up the lonely hill of life, The wind whistles through my soul. Teacher, mentor, my best friend, Going on to another world. Free from a life of pain and strife, To sit at the right of the Lord. Good bye dear friend, God speed to you, Until we meet again one day in some Other time or world. Jim James R Ayer Born January 28 1937 New York USA Passed Away March 31 2001 Sterling MA USA Cemetery Memorial Gardens