Paul’s Lament By Joli Valenti So, if women don’t want guitars then the motherfuckers die of Spanish syphilis most times And there ain’t no stars in that cold sky So they gathered like gargoyles at his every word to steal the passive pioneers horn And they failed baby like clergy merging clawing and purging attacking and urging since the pioneer of Sangha was born. He smiled but never budged As they'd forgotten their grudge And dismissed him as an old atheist or hippee While their offspring became fans of the teachings of Roshi AND the “Gentle Man” they simple called Shippee Joli ‘23 Paul, You enlightened me in so many ways and made me smarter and sweeter with every conversation we ever had. Paul they were the most fascinating conversations I’ve ever known. I love you and will see you again, you promised me and I’m holding you to it brother…. So Ciao for now Joli