For Paolo

[skonen_blades]

Paolo

Silver oracle
The approachable dragon
Pyramid architect
A glass optimist half-full of Vancouver rain
The small-g god who hears your email prayers
A professional luck hydrant that doesn’t believe in luck
The sphinx who skips the riddles and gives you the answers
The sword turned into a plough
The rare friendly genius
A calm ferryman giving passage over a rough gulf
Of infinite possible errors
Until you never knew you were in danger
A half-unicorn centaur

The humble navigator
Self-effacing wizard
The one you hope to find behind the curtain
Creating more leaders, not just more followers
Lifting instead of dragging
Pushing softly instead of pulling fiercely
The effective warm strength of capability
The one you want to call on
An oven mitt with polar bear lining
The heat needed to fight frostbitten ants

The person I’d want on my side
Even if I was a carpenter
Or a barista
Or a gymnast

The one who left
Whose absence is a chasm
A loved missing tooth
A spring breeze of remembered love
A hug at a computer's funeral

Every office
Every profession
Every life
Needs a Paolo

I like to believe the Roman Empire had more Paolos than warlords
And that maybe if the Empire had more Paolos than they did, we’d all be speaking Italian today
Gratefully
with pride
On our flying vespas


tags