To my Labradorian Friend (C. Leonardo B. Antunes)

            I have a friend across the sea,
            Amid the snow and maple trees,
            Beside a river in Goose Bay –
            Exactly where, I cannot say,
            For truly never have we met
            Except upon the internet.

            For many long and weary nights,
            With blinding, pixelated lights,
            We toiled to create a world
            That finally, one day, unfurled
            Itself to us with joyful glee –
            And problems we could not foresee.

            That world is gone and yet remains
            And for that fact he still complains
            About my fault in that respect –
            Which truly I cannot neglect –,
            But that is not the reason why
            I chose the last day of July

            To write a poem about this friend,
            Who tries to constantly pretend
            He does not care about such things.
            But under every word that stings
            There lies a certain kind of care
            That is as great as it is rare.

            On this the date that you were born
            Remember not to feel forlorn
            Because the world is not as great
            As any world we would create
            With algorithms carefully planned
            Upon an electronic land.

            Instead I urge you to recall
            The most important thing of all:
            Your friends, although in number few,
            Would die, without a doubt, for you,
            And even change their very names –
            At least inside our video games.