TODAY IN MY HUSBANDS EYES THERE WERE TEARS,
CAUSED BY THE PASSING OF A MAN WHO'D BEEN A FRIEND FOR MANY YEARS.

AS THE TEARS FLOWED DOWN HIS FACE,
IT SEEMED AS THOUGH HE WAS IN ANOTHER PLACE,
REMEMBERING HIS FRIEND IN DAYS GONE BYE,
WITH AN EXPRESSION OF THE QUESTION ' WHY'

MY HUSBANDS FRIENDS NAME WAS BARRY DOUGLAS ROSE,
BORN IN THE HIGH COUNTRY OF AUSTRALIA,
SOME FIFTY ODD YEARS AGO.

THEY MET IN THE CALL UP OF 1968,
AND SPENT A YEAR TOGETHER WATCHING OUT FOR EACH OTHER,
AND THEIR OTHER MATES.

THE BOND THEY ALL FORMED WOULD LAST FOR THE REST OF THEIR DAYS,
THEY WERE ALL LIKE BROTHERS IN MANY WAYS.

THE YEARS PASSED BY, BUT THEY KEPT IN TOUCH THROUGH SAD AND HAPPY TIMES,
WHAT THEY HAD SHARED TOGETHER, ALWAYS ON THEIR MINDS.

BARRY BECAME A RACE HORSE TRAINER, A MAN WITH A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOUR, OR SO I AM TOLD,
AND HIS LOVE FOR HIS HORSES, WAS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD.

IF HE COULD SPEAK TO MY HUSBAND AND HIS MATES TODAY,
I THINK THIS IS LIKE SOMETHING HE WOULD SAY.

'YOU SILLY MUGS DONT WEEP FOR ME,
FOR I AM WHERE I WISH TO BE,

SO HAVE A BEER AND REMEMBER ME WITH MIRTH,
ITS ONLY MY BODY THAT HAS LEFT THIS EARTH,

MY SPIRIT LIVES WITHIN YOU ALL, IN THE MEMORIES WE ALL SHARED,
AND I KNOW I HAD GOOD MATES THAT REALLY CARED,

SO WIPE AWAY YOUR TEARS, AND DO NOT WEEP FOR ME,
FOR I AM WHERE I WISH TO BE.

�������������������������������������������������������������� ljs.

( This poem is dedicated to Barry D Rose - affectionately known as "Rosie" who i had the priviledge of meeting once.
Rosie died on Monday 7th August 2000, surrounded by his family and one of his best mates Macca. Rosie had cancer).