tribute

Sleep, my gentle one
You deserve the rest.
For you, Mother of the Earth,
Stood out among the best.

You are, at eighty-one,
Still such a beautiful face.
With your lovely hazel eyes
A smile filled with grace.

Raised by a poor butcher,
And a woman of modest means.
You climbed above it all
By hard work when times were lean.

You married a simple carpenter
A good and kind young man
You watched him march to war
Our nation�s future in his hands.

I know there were lonely times
When you missed the man you loved
You feared for his death
With you alone to raise a son

He came home to you
With medals in his hands
Life settled down once more
The United States, a prosperous land

Two more babies came along
And to the South our family went
Your dreams of Scarlett and magnolias
Found rebel flags and Johnney Reds

Friends, we had too few
Dirty Yankee, we heard a lot
But you held your head up high
And still spoke your liberal thoughts

On a warm Georgia day
We ventured to downtown
I watched you take a stand
On your principles so sound

You walked to the back of the bus
And sat among the blacks
The driver cussed and fussed
To see such a noble act

Cancer snuck in like a thief
To rob you of your breasts
You faced it all with pride
For such a ugly test

You survived and the years flew by
You watched your chicks leave home
It was a time of calm
For the two of you to be alone

Then disaster hit again
And you lost your perfect mate
We watched him fade away
Death sealed his cruel fate

Bravely, you carried on
Volunteering here and there
With traveling and friends
You chased away despair

Now that your time looms near
I watched you live your best
You�ll leave this world much loved
God will surely grant you rest.