A Tribute to Steven Stokes

A good, longtime friend died
Just this week past
A good longtime friend died
He wasn't a good man
No.  He was better than good
And just this week past
He died . . .
His death creating a void
Filled only by memories
Of how he touched lives
Making a better world
Through his example
As a husband and father
As a neighbor and friend
And as a teacher . . .
Teaching and touching
So many lives
Leaving a true legacy
That will continue on
Thus, filling the void
Keeping him alive
In our minds and lives
And in our hearts
Yes, alive. . .
Our good, longtime friend lives
As long as we don't forget him
Or forget to follow his example
By living meaningful lives
As he lived a meaningful and memorable life

Authors note:  In writing this I was drawn to the following quotation taken from
"Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant -
"So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan, which moves
To that mysterious realm, where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night
Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams."