Classic Poem

We used to say: " A poseur's trick!
For rhymes inscribed " In Memory"
Mean just the rhymester's vanity "
And would your eyebrow twitch at this,
With your old winsome raillery?

You taught me how to think: to see,
To fix the forms that to and fro
Across the mind's proscenium go;
You taught me how to write: 'tis not
Your fault I have not written so.

You taught me how to live; you showed
Defeat a mien that never quailed;
And with blithe lips that never paled
You flouted Pain. O Heart of Gold,
'Tis not your fault if I have failed!

You taught me how to die; when Death
Moved in between us, mute and grim,
You smiled and made a friend of him ...
God grant to me a smile like yours
When the blurred day lessens and grows dim!

And should this seem a stark parade
Of such a bond as mine and thine,
Forgive this boastful heart of mine
That brags it to the crowd, because
I love our names to intertwine.