He was a clown in all that he did
and lived life constantly on the skid
Practical jokes and other tomfoolery
were part of his trade - his glittering jewellery
to distract himself from all that matters
for his inner life was a mass of tatters.

I saw all this with great acuity
Saw through his banter and ambiguity
Saw through the mask he wore with insistence
to hide his lonely and miserable existence.
He needed someone to hold his hand
to give him the courage to take a stand
to discover the value that lay beneath
so that, with inner happiness, he could bequeath
his true self to those he most dearly loved
And so, in loving, be himself loved.

But at the time I did not do it,
The time has passed, and now I rue it.

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