Sergey And I Poem by Raymond Farrell

True and lasting friendships
Can begin in unexpected ways
It was the last day
Of October 1999
A sunny warm Sunday
The best Indian summer's day
You could ask for
I decided to take a walk
As I walked across town
Towards the railway station
I met an extemely tall man
Coming towards me
With suitcase in hand
We exchanged greetings and
Began to converse
Having no fixed destination
I decided to walk with him
Sensing a Slavic accent
I asked him
Are you Polish
No I'm Russian
He replied
It was 1999 and
The old Soviet Union was gone
And in a effort to help
Canada was sponsoring
A business exchange program
And my new friend Sergey
Was part of the program
We walked to his hotel
Then I invited him over for dinner
And being Halloween
He was anxious to see
The children come and get
Their treats
Our friendship blossomed and grew
Over the years
In the spring of 2015
A few months
Before I came to China
Sergey came to Montreal
On business
One long weekend
He hopped on the train
And came to visit me
Together
We got together
With old acquaintances
And together
Went to my wife's grave
Something I never do
Standing there with Sergey
Brought back old memories
Of the good times we had together
I was sad
To see him off
After such a short visit
But our friendship
Remains solid
We talk every Monday
On Skype
My friend Sergey and I.