Poems From Inside Me

Tommy and Red

Red

Long thin beard

Almost comical

Hair also long, back in a pony tail

Both of them with a shock of grey

And a shock of red

Red they call him

His wife calls him Randy

Red’s a mountain man

Tommy’s best friend since age eight

Now they are both in their 60’s

I met Tommy through a friend

Who snickers when she thinks of Red

Referring to a sleeping bag as a fart sack

I can see him saying it

The man has a lot of jokes at the ready

For many years he made his living searching for scrap

And stretching out a disability pension

I wonder how he got a property with two houses

In the rainforests of north-western British Columbia

And how he raised six kids

With all the stories Tommy has to tell about him

“One time we pulled off the side of the road”

Tommy told me

“Drank and drank all night”

“In the morning red got up to have a poop”

“Turns out we were in someone’s front yard”

“And they could see Red through their picture window”

Tommy and I drove up the 1,400 kilometers to his home

And he opened his doors to us

I was his guest for two days

Well fed and well entertained.

All the while coming home

I sat back and wondered

Would I one day live in such a beautiful place

Surrounded by those who love me

And have as many stories to tell

And friends so close they would cross the country

Just for a visit?

Leif Gregersen

November 12, 2014

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