I sometimes think of Gerry and he deserves a comment.
I can't remember when I first knew Gerry but it had to be at Lord Selkirk Elementary. He was always a little eccentric but it seems I had a penchant for befriending such people.Still do apparently.
Gerry took his life at a young age. And at my equally young age, I didn't delve too deeply into the psycological agonies that led to such a sad but final outcome. I remember going to his funeral. Friendships at an early age tend to be more about the what, where & how, not too much about the why.
We pretty much go through life bypassing the "why?" because answers usually aren't forthcoming, at least not the answers we want to hear.
One sad reality is that life is increasingly difficult for more and more people to endure given that so many choose to end it early rather than letting it run its course. Having known a few in my adult life, the most recent just a few days ago, my thoughts always go back to Gerry. I now understand that it is more than just not being happy. Some people can endure the worst and carry on. Others cannot. Some have mistakenly viewed Death as a friend who is helping relieve them of their unbearable burden. The most widely published and distributed book in history calls Death an Enemy.
My personal belief is that the One who gave life originally will restore life to these ones here on Earth, but with all of the conditions that lead to such morbid depression eliminated. Gerry will be amongst them.
"I have seen the best minds of my generation go mad...."A.Ginsberg
Pain. Gerry didn't want this picture taken. Didn't want to be processed by a system that didn't challenge his intellect, didn't make him feel welcome, and bullied him on the street.
Gerry knew more about space/time than his teachers, and tried to teach me about TV electronics in grade 8 or 9. He had a wonderful loving family, and I enjoyed spending time over at his house. We'd lampoon society as we took long adventurous walks at all hours. After graduation, we hitchhiked down to San Francisco to check out Haight-Ashbury, and then to Malibu to do some body surfing. We listened to Rubber Soul and had to try out the medical-grade LSD that was available at the time. Pre-Medicine took up most of my energy as he withdrew into himself and tried to develop his psychic powers. He was desperately lonely, and much weaker than the very strong young man I knew in school by the time he came to visit me working out of town in the summer of 1968. Instead of giving him the emotional support he needed, I chided him, and made it more than abundantly clear that he wasn't welcome. By the time I got back to school he was dead.
Thank goodness for high school anti-bullying campains and for various support groups these days. I'm sorry Gerry. Please forgive me and I hope to see you soon.
Love, John
August, 2017
Gerry and I were close friends in High School. He was super bright, but found no real niche where he could develop his prodigious scientific/mathematical mind. We had all kinds of adventures and even hitchhiked down to Haight-Ashbury and Malibu.
After graduation, when most of us were swimming upstream in some sort of competitive mayhem, Gerry immersed himself in an exploration of the psychic world. This lead to his increasing isolation, and I was so caught up in my own struggles that I had only animosity when he came to me in Prince Rupert looking for support. It wasn’t long after that he took his life. Sorry.
As I write this, there Is a huge crack of thunder. Are you trying to tell me something Gerry?
lyrics
Ode To Gerry
You say you are a lonely man like Jesus,
Who’s lookin’ for a friend, We’ll feed the poor.
You asked with all your heart, But I said we had to part,
Now, I can’t really see you anymore.
The water’s splash, the lightning flash between us,
Your presence doesn't comfort me no more,
You see, I’ve got my plans, and I’m tryin’ to be a man,
Love’s taken me away to other shores.
Hey Gerry, where’d you go?, In this world, I miss you so,
I knew you when we had the eyes to see,
But life here was too slow, and you had no place to go,
Gun on the floor, and all that tragedy.
Was it drugs, or was it too much distance?
That razor mind of yours had rusted dull,
In elevated flight, you burned with radiant light,
Where once was seed, is now an empty hull.
Hey Gerry, where’d you go, in this world I miss you so,
I knew you when you had the heart to feel.
But life here was too cold, and you had no place to go,
Gun on the floor and all that tragedy.
I believe
That there’s mountains to climb ahead,
But you’ll never get there if your dead,
I had to let you go.
credits
from Season for Dreaming, released August 15, 2017
Vocals: John Burn
Acoustic Guitar: John Burn
Bass Guitar: Gregg Gorrie
Drum Programming: Gregg Gorrie
Organ: Barry Powell
Jason Middleton
I sometimes think of Gerry and he deserves a comment.
I can't remember when I first knew Gerry but it had to be at Lord Selkirk Elementary. He was always a little eccentric but it seems I had a penchant for befriending such people. Still do apparently.
Gerry took his life at a young age. And at my equally young age, I didn't delve too deeply into the psycological agonies that led to such a sad but final outcome. I remember going to his funeral. Friendships at an early age tend to be more about the what, where & how, not too much about the why.
We pretty much go through life bypassing the "why?" because answers usually aren't forthcoming, at least not the answers we want to hear.
One sad reality is that life is increasingly difficult for more and more people to endure given that so many choose to end it early rather than letting it run its course. Having known a few in my adult life, the most recent just a few days ago, my thoughts always go back to Gerry. I now understand that it is more than just not being happy. Some people can endure the worst and carry on. Others cannot. Some have mistakenly viewed Death as a friend who is helping relieve them of their unbearable burden. The most widely published and distributed book in history calls Death an Enemy.
My personal belief is that the One who gave life originally will restore life to these ones here on Earth, but with all of the conditions that lead to such morbid depression eliminated. Gerry will be amongst them.
John Burn
"I have seen the best minds of my generation go mad...."A.Ginsberg
Pain. Gerry didn't want this picture taken. Didn't want to be processed by a system that didn't challenge his intellect, didn't make him feel welcome, and bullied him on the street.
Gerry knew more about space/time than his teachers, and tried to teach me about TV electronics in grade 8 or 9. He had a wonderful loving family, and I enjoyed spending time over at his house. We'd lampoon society as we took long adventurous walks at all hours. After graduation, we hitchhiked down to San Francisco to check out Haight-Ashbury, and then to Malibu to do some body surfing. We listened to Rubber Soul and had to try out the medical-grade LSD that was available at the time. Pre-Medicine took up most of my energy as he withdrew into himself and tried to develop his psychic powers. He was desperately lonely, and much weaker than the very strong young man I knew in school by the time he came to visit me working out of town in the summer of 1968. Instead of giving him the emotional support he needed, I chided him, and made it more than abundantly clear that he wasn't welcome. By the time I got back to school he was dead.
Thank goodness for high school anti-bullying campains and for various support groups these days. I'm sorry Gerry. Please forgive me and I hope to see you soon.
Love, John
lyrics
You say you are a lonely man like Jesus,
Who’s lookin’ for a friend, We’ll feed the poor.
You asked with all your heart, But I said we had to part,
Now, I can’t really see you anymore.
The water’s splash, the lightning flash between us,
Your presence doesn't comfort me no more,
You see, I’ve got my plans, and I’m tryin’ to be a man,
Love’s taken me away to other shores.
Hey Gerry, where’d you go?, In this world, I miss you so,
I knew you when we had the eyes to see,
But life here was too slow, and you had no place to go,
Gun on the floor, and all that tragedy.
Was it drugs, or was it too much distance?
That razor mind of yours had rusted dull,
In elevated flight, you burned with radiant light,
Where once was seed, is now an empty hull.
Hey Gerry, where’d you go, in this world I miss you so,
I knew you when you had the heart to feel.
But life here was too cold, and you had no place to go,
Gun on the floor and all that tragedy.
I believe
That there’s mountains to climb ahead,
But you’ll never get there if your dead,
I had to let you go.
credits
Vocals: John Burn
Acoustic Guitar: John Burn
Bass Guitar: Gregg Gorrie
Drum Programming: Gregg Gorrie
Organ: Barry Powell