Reblogged from Jim Webster, aka Tallis Steelyard:

I was always told, by somebody older and wiser than me, that a grey hair you spot when shaving is to remind you of an old friend you no longer see. Certainly this morning I remembered, for no obvious reason, Jan Wandad. He was old when I knew him. A poet and philosopher who in his youth had been a soldier. He lived in a small house with just a couple of rooms and a courtyard. I would call upon him with his breakfast provided by the Society of Minor Poets. He was always friendly, always busy and he always had that prodigious sword of his standing near at hand.

He was a great one for writing letters. Indeed many mornings, if there was porridge to spare, I would take three bowls, one for him, one for me, and one for the street child waiting quietly to collect the letter Jan would be writing, secure in the knowledge that the recipient at the other end would also give them something.

Continue reading at Tallis Steelyard