Such a soldier Paul

Such a soldier Paul--
fucking intellect in action--
Hayagriva dancing.

Such a soldier Paul--
never mentioning in all those years
how I cheated you out of victory
in that '84 skirmish.

Such a soldier Paul--
loyalty before personality
duty before complaint
(but I could just hear your mumbled mantra:
"I'm not into this,
I'm not into this,"
even as your smile belied your denial.)

Such a soldier Paul--
always steadfast
always there
in whatever form
was needed.

Such a soldier Paul.

Jim Lowrey
for Paul Halpern's funeral
December 12, 2008