They walked together side by side
the old man and the boy
on the bridge across the river.
They could have walked thus across
the river of life
with its eternal flow.
I watched them
and thoughts filled my mind
of the un-bridged gap
between their lives.

The old man
-with faltering step
he moves slowly on.
His life has been lived
and his house is in order
as he patiently awaits
the call of his maker.
What are his thoughts
at this moment
as he moves on?

Are they thoughts of pain and sorrow
over some incident in the past
so difficult to bear
that after all these years
the wound is not yet healed?

Are they of someone he loved as a youth
but lost through folly?
Was she beautiful?
Did her eyes sparkle
like the sunlight
on the water below?
He looks at the water
sighing deeply
and nods his head.

Or is he thinking of the young one at his side
so innocent
and so pure
soon to be plunged into a world
where life rushes madly on?
How shall he fare?
Who will warn him of the pitfalls?

These thoughts plague the old man's mind
and hurt his noble heart.
But then he smiles as he remembers
that in his younger days
his eager spirit wanted to taste and feel
the sting of life's joys and sorrows
by itself.

There is no substitute for experience.
For though we know we may be hurt
in love or life
yet we walk on toward the very thing
that may hurt us so.