tom

Where to start. Tom and his older brother Jake are the closest thing I have to brothers. They are my dad’s older brother’s sons and I feel like I can tell them anything – like we came from the same mother. Whatever darkness is plaguing my soul, whatever disease is in my veins, my secrets are safe with them. We are on an island together and there’s no place I’d rather be. We talk openly about love and misery – about this and the other thing that’s hard to say, and the art of good company.

Tom took to skateboarding and counterculture as a kid. He would stay up late and rise when the evening called again. He’s a sensitive soul, and he’s always been – a deep thinker, a philosophy den / no interest in dividends. The type that takes the long way home and is immune to a trend. I am tempted to suspect that he seeks certainty – though there’s not a bone in his body that is prone to feed false hopes and superficial chivalry – it’s not in his anatomy. Tom is frank, direct, and oh so sincere. He is selective and truthful – a song at dawn, something you are most definitely not used to.

I have many, many memories of Tom – from Switzerland to tales of New York City; the Boundary Waters and walking on paths littered with alpine flowers. I see him playing guitar. I see him reading heavy books and exploring places afar. I see him climbing rocks and at war. I see him at peace and as a place to get help when there’s no light in the dark.

Tom gives his all to what is right in front of him. Tom keeps on searching, guided by light from a fountain that flows from within.

90 | la pointe, wi