Once a man is taken by a mountain
by its beauty
by its height
by its rapture
He is already gone
He is in a better place
Once a man is compelled to seek out
that which he loves
with a love which he cannot control
He is already gone

The beauty of the mountain
takes us all
at some time or another
in some way or another
Some of us are lucky
that it only has us for a few days
Some of us stand back
after reaching a summit
and with disbelief
say
"I survived”

For those who become taken
away
by the mountain
The rest of us cannot understand
Why him?
Why one so young?
Why not me?

All in the end we can do
is to live in his memory
Let his spirit
his soul
abide within us
and never let us forget
a friend.
 

In memory of our friend, our dear climbing companion.

Rowdy Bristol, 26 July 2003

Wouter, may your spirit rest in peace.