For All The Surfers That Love the Ocean In Loving Memory of Gary Koerner (1949-1998) by Loretta Martinez Williams   They study the waves; they study the tides, All for the perfect curl, all for the perfect ride. They don wet suits in weather that is too cold, They withstand extreme degrees of heat; They are searchers of the soul. And then they bear offspring, whom they teach to ride, And it is pleasant to see, surfing side by side. But these young men do grow old, And some are taken before their toll. So it is befitting that their ashes return to the ocean, As all that remains is their soul. Their friends are given one last chance to say goodbye, While they paddle out, afloat in low tide. One soul surfer who has touched so many lives is now gone, But his love of the surf inspires others to carry on. While his soul surfers distribute his ashes to the ocean in a last hurl, Our thoughts go back to him riding the eternal curl.