Last Respects

As almost everyone will know by now, President Regan died over the weekend. Without belaboring this national loss with too much verbiage, I offer the following poem today as a tribute to a great leader and an icon of American democracy from the century so recently past.

Last Respects
We bid a farewell to our president
A statesman and a friend
Who led our country and our people
And whose life has reached an end
We bid a farewell to a diplomat
Who outstretched our nation's hand
To open dialogue with nations
That we did not understand
We bid farewell to our commander
Who guided us through war and strife
Whom we herald as a patriot
As we reflect upon his life
So let the honor guard come forth
To fire one more round
Let the bugler sound off taps
And fill us with that mournful sound
We come to bid a last farewell
To remember and to say
Good bye, old friend, you served us well
We honor you this day
By Frank Carpenter ©