The Day After Warren Died - September 2007

The Day After Warren Died - September 2007

The day after Warren Hensley died
The rain and overcast morning
was eventually
pushed aside
by the sun
making way for a powder blue sky
with clouds, white and fluffy
that oddly seemed closer to earth than usual
they stretched for what looked like eternity
Standing on a high point, a scenic setting in Hartford
Outside a hotel near the airport
The trees and hills rolled for miles
I thought about Warren
And how he would always talk about the outdoors

Warren had been lingering
In the back of my mind
Most of the morning
Ever since I first heard
In a voicemail
That he died of cancer
At 51

Funny, the way the day turned out
I figured it was the kind of day
Warren would enjoy

Todd Rundgren wrote
And I believed him
“Never fear for you are
living in eternal mind…”
eternal mind, I thought, provided comfort
for the dead
or those in despair
for everyone else
the line was inspirational
I equate eternal mind
with the sky
where dreams and
inspiration
could float
with the clouds
or glide through the rain
Where we could look and
remember the inspiration
we received from others,
like the smile, stories sense of humor
and occasional,
good natured,
but still biting
commentary I will remember
Warren for

But even that thought
made me chuckle
while looking at the sky
the day after Warren died
because I knew if I told him about my theories
on eternal mind
and Eastern Intrigue in general
he would dismiss it
with a smile
and a wave of his hand
“Eastern intrigue.
I don’t need any of that shit.
All I need is a nice lake
a fishing pole
and some
fish that are biting.”

Warren and I sold betting slips
at a teletheater in New Haven
Warren could talk horses
With the “old timers” –
the gentlemen betters -
and he could talk horses
with the new guys -
the Thugs -
He could talk to anyone really
he had that type of personality
And he would always
talk about the outdoors:
fishing in mountain streams
running his kayak through the rapids
or camping and hiking in the wilderness

Mostly, for Warren,
life seemed to be about the fishing…
and the grandkids who called him Poppy

For Warren,
I’ll forget about the eternal mind theory
(which I think we all exist within)
For Waren we’ll keep it real
For Warren
when I see a day
Warren would enjoy
I’ll figure he is
In a nice lake somewhere
Fishing pole in hand
And fish -
BIG fish -
biting

For Warren
We could pause for a moment
and appreciate the day
and then go
live the hell out of it

THAT, I think,
He will appreciate

Peace