“Leonard, I will miss you.”

You Want it Darker

Leonard Cohen’s last great song, released just weeks ago. His words have inspired and uplifted me for nearly 50 years. Leonard, I will miss you. But your words remain and they are as powerful as ever.

Hineni = ‘Here I am’ in Hebrew. Like Bowie, Leonard left a song to mark the fact that he was about to leave us and was ready.

Leonard’s first record – Songs of Leonard Cohen – was given to me by Linda very early in our relationship. For me Leonard is always the poet of powerful positive emotions, but especially of love. Hate might win a few battles, but love endures, love always wins the peace. Leonard’s words and music are the soundtrack of a love that lasted 50 years and, like his songs, will continue.

A few months ago, his former lover and muse Marianne was dying and he wrote her a beautiful letter. A letter that we might now apply to Leonard Cohen himself.

‘Well Marianne it’s come to this time when we are really so old and our bodies are falling apart and I think I will follow you very soon. Know that I am so close behind you that if you stretch out your hand, I think you can reach mine.

And you know that I’ve always loved you for your beauty and your wisdom, but I don’t need to say anything more about that because you know all about that. But now, I just want to wish you a very good journey. Goodbye old friend. Endless love, see you down the road.”

~ John Simmons

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Also published on Medium.