If I get a pet snake
I'll name him Nigel

inspired by "Making Plans for . . ."
as I drove home late at night
reminded of Geoff

who like a frustrated spouse
told me I didn't discipline our campers enough
and always made him the heavy.
But we laughed together when we heard 
XTC sing about Nigel
on our lunch break.

And I think of him every time I hear it
his laugh ever present in the quirky name
though some crazy cancer
took him before he could ripen into a man old enough to carry a name like Nigel