Barry
©2007 AndrewHull

I said G’day to Barry today
As I passed him down on the street
We stood for a while and he gave me a smile
With teeth that no longer meet
We stood there together, I noted the weather
And said ‘my season of choice’
He would have replied, instead he just sighed
For Barry had lost his voice

Barry had worked on a farm West of Bourke
Just barely a few years ago
And though not a friend, I wouldn’t pretend
He was someone that I didn’t know
We’d shared the odd brew as work colleagues do
And swapped the occasional smoke
And our frames of mind weren’t exactly aligned
But I thought him a fair enough bloke

He’d worked everywhere and done it with flair
And been a lot better than most
He’d tried everything, (but still couldn’t bring
His humble nature to boast)
He spoke a bit much about women and such
In manners I didn’t condone
For it seemed to me, he considered that he
Was in a class of his own

But that was my youth, for the obvious truth
Was that he was alone and bereft
He’d foregone his wife in the wreck of his life
And bragging was all he had left
But he ran out of ears with the passing of years
As listeners grew and moved on
And those who remained became less entertained
Til all but the whiskey were gone

And now on his own, he wanders alone
Without any tales to promote
The power of speech is beyond his reach
As whiskey has rotted his throat
And the half broken teeth hide the Barry beneath
Who reaches out now with his eyes
And wills you to tell, you’ll remember him well
Though all that you know are his lies

I must say that I am not really sure why
I feel I should make this report
Perhaps I have seen myself in this scene
Or maybe a lesson was taught
For time takes its toll and is beyond control
And we all must say our farewell
Then all of our glories will only be stories
So I hope we are telling them well