In Our End Dark Is Right
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
–excerpt Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
I was with Al in the last several hours of his life. I miss him acutely and will always remember him. Had fate worked differently I might have known Al twenty years earlier. Then in his prime, and married to the partner, Karen, a woman he loved fiercely, Al did what he loved best, take one of his motorcycles on a long ride west through the great plains and then to the Rocky Mountains. Al was a survivor. He had a native intelligence, a natural curiosity that he applied to precision building a Kawasaki engine to make desired power for use at Road America, and to reading fine literature. He was better read than I. Al, in conversation mentioned books that I hoped to read someday.
Al passed easy, surrounded by friends, those who loved him, with the mellow sounds of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead softly filling the hospital room.
You will be missed my friend. I’ll never forget your race track reminiscing of how to hold a line, laying the bike over, approaching a sweeping curve at speeds of 150 mph. And the felt flash of delight, making it through the curve, a sensation of being totally alive…
Ride on friend! You will always be in our hearts. Al Lykins January 17, 1947 – January 21, 2023
And When I Die written by Laura Nyro, performed by Blood Sweat & Tears
If it’s peace that you find in dying then let the time draw near…
2 thoughts on “In Our End Dark Is Right”
What a beautiful tribute, Jerry. To inspire such sentiments from one’s friends is the best certification of having lived well. May Al and his Karen joyously find each other, however that could be.
I didn’t know the Al you describe. And in a way, I think I like the Al I knew better. He was considerate, kind, gentle, and human. I pondered out loud if Al would be at philosophy on Tuesday after I told Edward about his passing. After reading your blog, I am confident he will be. Thank you for going to him, as a witness, a representative, and an example.