Ph: Memorial: You Don't Know Jack! Poem by Brian Johnston

I doubt you knew Jack in this life (but that's guessing) !
What 'luck' he became both my friend and a mentor,
a warrior whose presence would grace any foxhole,
with strength, so infectious, his smiles so disarming.
I'd guess there are others like Jack (may you meet one!)
for blessings like rose petals littered his passing
like scars that a carrier carves on the ocean,
his waves still shape beaches (exceeding his time here) ,
like monuments raised on Sahara to pharaohs,
his shoulders so broad the sun's mass set behind them.

The hole's (hole Jack left when he cratered) processing
seems worth all the time that it's taken me, encore
exists if it does in this life as a dipole
(though actions from distant effects are alarming) .
Invisible fields paint with unseen abandon
the future we all face. With time we're amassing
a fate on 'gas tablets' of pure self-promotion.
May Science, God's gift, be a love God's beloved cheer,
more nurture the planet and warm to earth's sparrows,
bless servants like Jack. Let blown tires boast of 'white' trim.


Brian Johnston
10th of September in 2021
Poet's Notes:
I wrote this memorial poem a year after the death of Jack Stone, whose larger-than-life existence influenced me greatly.