ode to a good friend

Before I knew that being a professional artist was wrought with righteous opinions I knew a generous soul who tutored me during High School. He was in college, and I was a Jr or Sr. I can't recall now. I know I had a crush on him, not because he was really good looking, but because he was an artist, and he believed in art, and in me. I practiced water colors with him, and we would talk about art, about Cezanne, about Van Gogh, and Bob Dylan. That was 25 plus years ago. Recently I decided to look Ronnie up, see what ever became of him. I found a newspaper article that said he had died in 2005. It broke my heart. I missed him. I missed keeping in touch, I missed telling him that I finished college, that I was surviving as an artist. So many conversations that never got said. Experiences I never got to share, (like seeing real Cezanne paintings in NY and Paris). I found a message board today, dedicated to Ronnie. I still don't know what happened to him. I just know I am sad.