James Christofi 02/April/1988 - 22/May/2021 Poem by GK Talabi

30/March/2023 is the exact date
That I heard about your fate.
I was chatting and having a laugh
With a new member of staff,
Just like me she had worked in High Down prison.
Coincidence? Or do things happen for a reason?
We talked about people who we knew,
And James that's when I mentioned you,
Solemnly she replied
'Oh, have you not heard James died? '
In shock I screamed, unable to believe my ears.
Suddenly my eyes welled up with tears.
She continued 'James died two years ago.
Mr.Talabi did you not know? '

Memories of you came flooding back there and then,
We worked as Operational Support way back when.
You were in your twenties but very mature,
Quick-witted and happy-go-lucky by nature.
I can still see you in your hi-vis, hard hat and steel toe,
A young man full of so much get-up-and-go.
No job was too big or too hard,
Conscientiousness was your trump card.
James I remember when we stood in the freezing cold,
Watching the contractors working on a scaffold,
You did not flinch or complain one bit
Other guys your age would have thrown a hissy-fit.
Instead you regaled me with jokes and tall tales,
No doubt about it you were tough as nails.

And what about the train ride home from Sutton
Your company is something no one can put a price on.
If I had to describe it I will have to say,
'With James Christofi there is never a boring day'.
You could talk about anything and everything,
Knowledgeable and always full of the joys of spring.
This is why the news of your death knocked me for six,
It feels like being hit by a ton of bricks.
I keep asking 'Why? How? Why?
At such a young age why and how did James die? '
Indeed we lost contact after I left High Down, that is true,
But I would never have thought such a misfortune could visit you.
My condolence to your mom, sisters and to the son you left,
Heaven above has gained an angel but earth is now bereft

R.I.P