I come across an old friend....

[Motu]

I dropped into see my parents this afternoon as I'm not going to be in Auckland much from now on.While I was cleaning their shared headstone,and as I had a bit of time I thought I'd look for an old friend - it's easy as it's all on computer in the office,and they print you a map.He was only a few rows from where we put my mother's ashes under my father's headstone a couple of years ago.

I remember the night he died,in 1974 - we were talking to him over the fence,he was so upbeat.He had just got out of detox for the third time,said he had finally kicked heroin out of his life.He was going to Australia the next day.....and he OD'd that night.We were 20.I didn't know him that well,he was just good friends with my mates.But I remember the first time I walked into their place,a filthy long haired hippy/biker - and his mother said ''Oh,hi there Paul''.'Uh,hello Mrs Miller'.She laughed and said ''You don't know me do you? But I know you,Brian used to bring you home after school,we lived in the next street to you''.

The funeral was one not to forget....there was a service in a hall,then we had a hearse procession to the cemetry,we rode our bikes and it rained all the time.It was the full deal with pall bearers bringing the coffin to the grave site....then one of the pall bearers had an epileptic fit and they dropped the coffin and it nearly went down the hole.It happened right in front of me,and all the women cracked up.It was totally surreal in the pouring rain.All funerals have been a let down since.The headstone had lichen on it,he may not get many visitors these days,but I left some of my pens in the flower holder.

Good to catch up with you after all these years Murkin.

[Pwalo]

Funny how much memories come back to haunt you. My grandparents, uncle, great uncles and aunts, and my cousin are all buried in the same cemetry in Wanganui.

Visiting the place is just a strange mixture of sadness and also pleasure at recalling the time I'd spent with family.

The curse and joy of getting older I guess.

[Paul in NZ]

It seems that a lot of genuinely old people I know are almost obessed by who's not there rather than who is? Hope I'm not going that way but sometimes, on roads we rode a lot when we were younger I still see the bad spots, or the faces.... Sad....

Still - I'm here, it's a nice day and I'm still in love and have a license so... It could be worse...

[Pixie]

Aaah,the good old days,when you were allowed to laugh at epileptic pallbearers.

[mstriumph]

thanks for the post, Paul - and for the thoughts and memories it triggered for me

[Big Dave]

People Who Died - Jim Carroll Band

Teddy sniffing glue, he was 12 years old
Fell from the roof on East two-nine
Kathy was eleven when she pulled the plug
On 26 reds and a bottle of wine
Bobby got leukemia, 14 years old
He looked like 65 when he died
He was a friend of mine
CHORUS:
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends
They just died
G-Berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten
So they died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan
Sly in Vietnam, took a bullet in the head
Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed
They were two more friends of mine
Two more friends that died
CHORUS
Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from his cell in the tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And, Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
(First time) And I salute you, brother
(Second time) This song is for you my brother
CHORUS
Herbie pushed Tony from the Boys' Club roof
Tony thought that his rage was just some goof
But Herbie sure gave Tony some, some bitchen proof
Herbie said, "Tony, can you fly?"
But Tony couldn't fly, Tony died
CHORUS
Brian got busted on a narco rap
He beat the rap by rattin' on some bikers
He said, "Hey, I know it's dangerous,
But it sure beats Riker's"
But the next day he got off'd
By the very same bikers
CHORUS