  We remember well when a schoolboy, When pliant in mind and limb, We had for a boon companion, A bright youth whose name was Tim. He was sturdy, strong, and honest, In body and mind he had vim, So we learned by intuition, To place much reliance on Tim. We fished and hunted together, In summer, the lakes we would swim, Skated their surface in winter, With mercurial, wonderful Tim. Our tasks at school were a union, And when thoughts were distant or dim, A light illumined the pages, That seemed a reflection from Tim. Reciprocal visits were often, He slept with me, I slept with him, Talked till near dawn of daylight, With fluent and scholarly Tim. Decades have passed since that season, My hair is reduced to a rim, But my heart beats as warm as ever, For that friend of my youth, named Tim. As years fleet away, we treasure The power of our mind to skim O'er the scenes of early doings, With valiant and trustworthy Tim. A third of a century over, Still a friend have we now like him, Exact in his every bearing, And his name is—unchanged—Tim. We wonder if in the hereafter, When we range with the Seraphim, Happiness will be augmented By the kindly presence of Tim. We trust an expanded mission Will fill us with joy to the brim, As we ramble the fields of glory, With genial and faithful friend Tim. |
|
