After Geno died I received many beautiful letters from his friends.
Here is one of them:
Nov. 20, 1966
From Albert Maher to Marci Foreman
I am finding the fact of Geno’s death a bad dream that somehow I already had-deja vu- but no, it is really simply that I loved him as my brother and as my brother he is integrated into me as someone I hurt, was hurt by, laughed with, grew with and always marveled at his energy, talent, generosity, and was angry with his egocentricity and stubbornness and indulged myself with the assurance that I would always have him as my friend, and now I weep because he is gone, and in my self centered ignorance I feel with anguish that I took for granted---
roll in your friends
while you may
for tomorrow they
are covered with moss.
And it seems the life we are having is terribly brief, and being brief it should contain more blessings than it does, but those blessings being few are more meaningful and Geno was for me a gift of the good goods-a mixed blessing yes ah yes, and I smile to think of the confusion and havoc of our souls….
And it continues, for he gave me touch with people, Clark and Mairi, that continues in the present that is now. And without eulogizing him it is to say the obvious that the terrible intensity with which he lived made him a rare soul to all of us, but for me also a tragic expectancy that the precious child cannot walk the ledge across the river from the Spry sign and not be hurt, but maybe yes it is possible he can, he will. So I argue rationally for staying off ledges, and he exposed the reasoning of the earthbound as the logic of the clerk’s ledger and he was right.
and that was six years ago
and the genius is gone
and I have no words
for it maybe when I see
you I will
you are both very
special people in
my life,
Love,
Al
|
sj