North End Friendship and Love - by Ralph Indrisano

Bobby Puopolo has avoided seeing out of addiction to isolation for fifty years.  We were brothers growing up in the North End.  Now that Bobby lays dying, I thought seeing Bobby was going to be difficult.   It has been the opposite joyful and sublime.  We are closer now than we were ever in our lives.  Bobby said to me were broken since day one and broken all our lives this is why we are able to do things we do.  I don’t know of any place or with anyone where this can happen.  i strongly feel this is part of the phenomena we are committed to express from growing up in the North End.

I have this wonderful experience of you and Jimmy much like our hearts have trust for the oxygenated blood the lungs gives it.   I treasure our friendship and mutual commitments.

If you feel that this poem will forward our work please publish it.  I asked Bobby for permission

Forever

Raphael Arcangelo