hoarfrost

the minutes grow for time is fleeting

no longer flows the tide of reason

but lies and discord rule the land

while far apart lone hero stands

from treason blight and ballyhoo

through guile and wit and self-denial

he lives to see the end of trials

and swears upon the witness-stand

that none compare when held to you

but all his words are dashed away

when you kick him out one fine day

to travel on your own true course

awash in cash and competence

and leave him there in loneliness

to always wonder what might have been

if your relationship had been less forced

and you had stayed his friend