26 Oct 2003
Visions of
Dashner
I love you, Gil. You were
the brother I lost; that flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood, and
bones of my bones. Oh, brother lost, and precious brother found, and
brother lost again. You walked the road by my side at sundown. You
caught the wind and laughed at the rain. You sang a mighty song. You
were the king of the American highway. You were Huckleberry Finn, Walt
Whitman, Benjamin Gant, Alvin York, Audie Murphy, James Dean, and Neal
Cassady wired into one man. You are the great American hero.
For years
I searched, not for knowledge or wealth, but for wisdom and truth. And
when it was over, I realized, Gil, that you were pearl that was handed
to me, the diamond in my back yard. For it was you who spoke to me the
great forgotten language. Yes. You were the lost lane into the kingdom.
You were the stone, the leaf, and the door. You took me on a great
journey, that far voyage to the very doors of perception, and beyond
...
One day
the ship will come for me. I'll go on board, walk up to the bridge, and
talk to my captain. We'll get underway, slide into the mist, and slip
quietly out to sea. And when I too cross over the bar, you'll be out
there waiting for me. Till that day comes and we meet again, let me say
goodby to you. I love you, man. You are the greatest. Farewell to you,
great friend of my youth.
Adios, mi amigo, mi
hermano.
Au revoir, mon ami, mon frère.
Goodby, my friend, my brother.
We will ride again.
From a friend and
classmate,
Greg Allard
gallard@fairpoint.net
