For William Katongole (2 February 1989 – 10 March 2022):
gone too soon, too suddenly, and too far from his loved ones.
When in a world
of emptiness,
Friends can be hard to measure,
It’s good to know
that I know you,
Your friendship is a treasure.
To have shared
so much, freely,
with you has been no strife,
I’m glad that you
did open up
the door into your life.
It’s not often
that someone comes,
and makes me have to boast,
that I enjoy
your company
a whole lot more than most.
For even though
My life has been
Occasionally a haze,
I can say
I’m happier now
that you have shared my days.
+ + +
In 1986, a special friend wrote this poem to me, and I treasure it to this day.
Today, I pay it forward by sharing this poem with the world, rededicating it to William, a young man who lived a difficult life, loved his friends deeply, and whose hopeful plans for the future will never be accomplished. Gone but never forgotten.
Original poem © 1986 by Ricky Ransome;
this rededication © 2022 Geoff Allshorn