Meeting an old friend

I met with C. today
My advisor from graduate school
He is dying, gracefully

He's mobile, but frail and in pain
Yet he remains charming, humorous
Interested in others
Still the conversationalist I recall from years ago

I saw a new side of him
His poetry and art
He's a big Wendell Berry fan
And charitable, working on community projects

Confined to the house
He takes breathtaking photos
Of the Lake from his veranda

He told me, "See, there is life after science"
I get to visit with him again next week.
To return the poetry he lent me
That he wrote