First Impressions Last

Although I lived in the Philly area for 6 years, the night I met Patrick I was a visitor. Driving from my current home in North Carolina, I had stopped for the night in Philly on my way to Cape Cod. I was walking out of Woody's when I saw him sitting at a table with someone; talking and, of course, laughing. I stopped because I thought he'd said something to me, which he hadn't, but that was all the introduction he needed.

Many hours, many stories, and many, many smiles later, we were still talking on his rooftop patio as the sun rose over Philadelphia. It was, as Humphrey Bogart said, "The start of a beautiful friendship".

The next day, in Cape Cod, I was still so taken with Patrick, and with what seemed to be such a wonderfully unique experience, that I wrote this poem:

Beautiful Boy

So Striking. So Fair.
But no casual beauty, his.

Dark eyes draw deep, to a wisdom far beyond his years
Forged in suffering, and victory.
He has tasted life and it dances in his eyes.

No cold beauty, his.

His sweet, tender lips fly into smile. Welcoming. Warm.
His laughter is contagious. The very joy of life.

No hardened beauty, his.

A strong, fine body. Graceful and assured
But a soul both fragile and defiant.
Such innocence. Such strength.

No common beauty, his.

A gift. A pearl.
The blossoming rose overlooked.
To touch such promise, such hope, such fire,
Is to be changed forever

By the light of a beautiful boy.

It's not that the poem is particularly good, what's amazing to me is that only a few hours with Patrick left me with such a vivid image of who he was. And as far as the experience being wonderfully unique...well, it certainly was wonderful...but the magical thing about Patrick is that meeting him, spending time with him and growing to love him is a completely unique experience that we all somehow have in common.

Sharing that night on the roof with Patrick allowed me to view Philadelphia from a perspective I'd never seen before. Sharing my life with Patrick allows me to view the world from a perspective I'd never seen before. In that way, Patrick will always be with me. With us. And for that, I'm eternally grateful.