They walked together side by side - the old man and the boy on the bridge across the river They could have walked thus across the river of life with its eternal flow I watched them and thoughts filled my mind of the un-bridged gap between their lives The old man - with faltering step he moves slowly on His life has been lived and his house is in order as he patiently awaits the call of his maker What are his thoughts at this moment as he moves on? Are they thoughts of pain and sorrow over some incident in the past so difficult to bear that after all these years the wound is not yet healed? Are they of someone he loved as a youth but lost through folly? Was she beautiful? Did her eyes sparkle like the sunlight on the water below? He looks at the water sighing deeply and nods his head Or is he thinking of the young one at his side so innocent so pure soon to be plunged into a world where life rushes madly on? How shall he fare? Who will warn him of the pitfalls? These thoughts plague the old man's mind and hurt his noble heart But then he smiles as he remembers that in his younger days his eager spirit wanted to taste and feel the sting of life's joys and sorrows by itself There is no substitute for experience for though we know we may be hurt in love or life yet we walk on toward the very thing that may hurt us so