I lost an old friend today

I lost an old friend today
I didn’t know that he was ill.
I’m not sure what took him
He wasn’t over the hill.

He was just found gone
Like some of us will be.
He lived alone and he lived free.

He didn’t fit a mold
He lived his way.
Just him and his dogs
The old school way.

He loved to hunt
And he loved the woods.
He burned wood for heat
Off the grid, because he could.

Some thought that he struggled
He thought that of you.
He refused to conform to norms
He lived hard but never blue.

I saw him a few weeks ago
I knew he’d be the same.
Just living his one day at a time
No one else to blame.

I’ll laugh when I think of him
The stories I could tell.
The falcon or the pet raccoon
The conservation officer from hell.

We’ll miss you Russell Rice
I’ll praise you for your will.
You never strayed from who you are
You passed when you had your fill.

I know we’ll meet again some day
Kindred spirits that we are.
Don’t forget to wear your orange
The CO won’t be far.

In memory of my hunting buddy.