Dear Mr Irsigler, my distant friend,
Perhaps I’ll never meet you, I don’t know,
My life it seemed was drawing to an end,
But now the flame’s rekindled, on I go,
A year has passed since I felt quite so low,
Longer since friendships like yours I betrayed,
It’s still a while ’til new ones I can sow,
And debts can be, with gratitude, repaid,
But will the memories of bad times ever fade?
’Tis hard to say, I have so much to do,
Until I’m back to where I was before,
Our common cause will have to wait; in lieu
I set this down for now, and evermore,
A truer friend I never had, I’m sure.
Nor will I if I live a thousand year,
Your book enlightened me, opened the door
To tempered reason, understanding clear,
The problems that we face, aren’t quite what they appear.
August 1984
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