Upon hearing of REM's demise

Bonne nuit, old chaps,
Thanks for supplying the sound-track,
Wistful, faraway sad even when celebrating,
Smiling wryly while hearts were breaking,
Through the shiny confusion of those years,
You stood by with your out-of-reach flavour,
Your name scrawled on my Camel geometry box,
Scribbled lyrics during classes as I searched for meaning,
And while I slowly outgrew the confusion,
I never quite found the answers,
Got lost in life's trivia,
You brought the disruptive gift of melancholia,
Delighted me with piano and electrolites,
Made it legit to be surreal,
To be inscrutable,
Yet melodic.
You inspired, in music, in videos,
So that soon I missed,
More aching beauty than I had wished.
See you in heaven if we make the list.