My Santiago

Colbert (RIP)

He was my friend, I’ve never had the like of again, A man with whom I shared secrets

about life, vulnerabilities, and what’s more, we thought alike, At least I thought we did;

Until that day.

But till then, Unlike all the others, We had serious ‘creds’,

Intellectual ‘cools ’, Fine taste in music, And all the tools,

Like tastes in women who were different, Powerful, With more savvy-less makeup and saviour faire,

Yes, that je ne se que, His trick of lowering one’s voice in a crowded room, (I learned well) To be heard speaking weighty things at the right time;

Loved his car, The pale blue MGB open-topped, Where we sat side by side,

Blue track-suited, Smoking Gitanes,

Me with my beard and ‘fro, His, dreadlocked, Louis XIV style, Knowing it all, Or at least most of it, For now, And, for then