To My Good Friend, Tom Billsborough Poem by Susan Williams

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I miss you,
my good friend, Tom.
The world I live in
is diminished
by losing you
and your brilliant mind.
I miss how you played in the classics
understanding their depth and heights
and then you would turn around
and write naughty verses
just because you could.
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You left a black hole
In my circle of poet-friends.
I feel less whole
---diminished---
now that you are gone
from this world.
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One good thing to know about your death...
You are with her now, your beloved wife.
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You said in July,2019 'Distance doesn't matter except the lack of touch.'
Well, I miss that touch of your brilliant mind on my heart and mind and soul, my friend.
You were/are an outstanding poet,
you had an exploring, adventurous mind,
and an incredibly wide range of topics
that you very poetically examined.
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At one time I think you must have wanted to be an archaeologist, maybe unearth the skull of Yorick- - ah, if only there were enough time to pursue all avenues of human endeavor you could wish.. To be or not to be. To follow this road or that? . I like the way you applied archaeology to the human mind and soul.
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Go Look and See His Poetry.
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. PUNS? You could pun with the best- -
I usually started snickering on line #1, sniggering on line #2, chuckling on line #3, giggling like a mad scientist by line #4, totally sold by line #5.
You are my official go-to poet for having a little pun!
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NURSERY RHYME. You had such a gentle heart and it permeates lovely poems like this one which is pure sweetness. I can see it being read or sang to a sleepy-eyed little girl. I love the repetition in it. Children [and the children inside us adults] thrive on repetition, it is their and our security blanket.
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You were also a MAESTRO! Many of your poems are pure music- they rise and fall, piercing the heart and then withdraw to watch the results. They sing! They whisper like a ghost from some unused alley in the cortex to another, reminding us of words that once upon a time spoke to us with violins and flutes and piano and lyrics.
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. ALL OUR YESTERDAYS. This is a very philosophical and so incredibly well-written poem. Like I said, you could handle the most difficult topics for a poem that I have ever heard of and yet pull it off with poetic ease and your own special warmth and gentle intelligence. You ask incredible questions in your quite thought provoking poems.
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SEA POLLUTION. I was captivated first by the rhythm of the ocean waves swelling and ebbing in this poem- -it was like the poem was breathing. What a fascinating thing to do- I wish I knew the secret to such a piece of poetic magic. This deep motion of the ocean reinforces the message, The ocean is speaking to us through these verses, asking us to stop killing her and through her pollution to kill the rest of this lovely creation. May the world of man hear and heed your words, Tom. This is certainly a brilliant write deserving of a thousand million tens.
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So- my poetic group of friends- Go to his wall- Jump into his list of poems. You'll be glad you did. He could be warm. He could be funny. He could be intellectually provoking. Tom Billsborough did not fear to take on the Mount Everests of poetry topics or types. Basically because he could handle it all.
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I miss you Tom Billsborough.
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......................©4-15-2023 by Susan Williams