We spent many a friday night hanging out at Rich's bachelor pad in his back yard. It was the equivalent of That '70s Show but we had an old rv trailer instead of a basement. We would sit and listen to the Beatles, The Who, Jefferson Airplane and The Doors for hours on end. We were all going to be writers, poets, and rock stars. A fantastic pipe dream looking back now but Rich had potential. Rich was so passionate about literature especially Papa (Hemingway) and Baudelaire. He knew the writers and poets well. They were his companions when he was alone. He would have made a great English teacher, a cool teacher, a Dead Poets Society kind of teacher, a teacher that could and would have made a difference with his students. I'm going to watch that movie with my wife in Rich's honor with a bottle of wine and toast his memory.

Rich's life was sadly anachronistic. He always said he didn't belong to this time period. He said he should have been born in 19th century France. I am glad he wasn't, I would have missed out on his friendship. 
Like I said he loved the poets especially Baudelaire and I would be remiss and Rich disappointed with me if i didn't include it as a farewell poem. He often recited lines from this poem. Wine helped but the mere reading of poetry intoxicated him.

******************************
A POEM BY CHARLES BAUDELAIRE

Always be drunk.
That's it!
The great imperative!
In order not to feel
Time's horrid fardel
bruise your shoulders,
grinding you into the earth,
Get drunk and stay that way.
On what?
On wine, poetry, virtue, whatever.
But get drunk.
And if you sometimes happen to wake up
on the porches of a palace,
in the green grass of a ditch,
in the dismal loneliness of your own room,
your drunkenness gone or disappearing,
ask the wind,
the wave,
the star,
the bird,
the clock,
ask everything that flees,
everything that groans
or rolls
or sings,
everything that speaks,
ask what time it is;
and the wind,
the wave,
the star,
the bird,
the clock
will answer you:
"Time to get drunk!
Don't be martyred slaves of Time,
Get drunk!
Stay drunk!
On wine, virtue, poetry, whatever!"
**************************************

So long for now my friend
But be mindful of the gate,
and all who pass,
For a familiar face
of days gone past.

Until we meet again

Godspeed your soul to eternal repose

Amen

Your sincere and disconsolate friend Jim Zarick