Can two words ever be enough

for a friend who taught me the art

of taking myself less seriously,

turned life on its head,

and made me laugh at everything!

The friend who filled my world

with fresh pots of paint

colours I never knew existed

bled my grey skies into sunshine

again and again.

Those unforgettable drives,

longer walks, long lazy evenings full of talk

nights of  heady infectious laughter

drunk on a friendship

inexplicable to outsiders.

Alas, the friend I don’t see now everyday

who now stays so  far away

that months pass without speaking, the years turn grey

but whose laughter echoes in my ear as I turn to say

two words: Happy Birthday!