Post by NanciK on Feb 12, 2007 17:28:21 GMT -5
~ Barbaro's Farewell ~
by Kathy Shaw, Vashon Island, WA
The numbing fog drifted through my brain
But still could not drive off the pain.
The throbbing, burning would not cease
I could not find rest or blessed peace.
They had tried so hard to put me right—
I tried too, I was born to fight.
I was warmed by the glow of prayers from afar
And by walks in the sun with my good Doctor R.
My Champion's heart and inner fire
Made Doctor R's cautions seem overly dire.
"Look at his eyes, how brightly they gleam"
Beating the odds seemed more than a dream.
But only a dream it turned out to be
Doctor R's warnings became grim reality.
I turned within myself to escape the pain—
The light in my eyes began to wane.
I wasn't myself, I tried to bite
The hands that had cared for me day and night.
I was only trying to tell them, you see,
"I know you love me, please set me free."
"I love you so, I would like to stay
But I wasn't meant to live this way.
I will never again run or jump or fly—
Forever restrained my spirit will die."
"My soul unto the wind is bound
I heed its call, its clarion sound.
To race with the wind and leave it behind—
A triumph seen only in my mind."
Those I loved all gathered near.
I felt their love, I did not fear.
Through the haze I saw the light—
Blue skies, green meadows, what a sight!
My earthbound chains broke and fell away
I'd been here before, I knew the way.
I felt the wind upon my face.
I could tell it had missed me, it wanted to race!
I paused to look back at my friends so sad,
Hoping they could think of me and be glad.
Remembering the good times, the glory, the races
Should surely bring a smile to their faces.
"What could have been" was not meant to be.
Of fairness in life there is no guarantee.
Our destiny is not always what we might hope
But making the best of it helps us to cope.
I know good things will come from my pain.
If others are saved, it won't have been in vain.
And for those who love me, when the wind blows your hair
Say "Hello Barbaro" for I will be there.
by Kathy Shaw, Vashon Island, WA
The numbing fog drifted through my brain
But still could not drive off the pain.
The throbbing, burning would not cease
I could not find rest or blessed peace.
They had tried so hard to put me right—
I tried too, I was born to fight.
I was warmed by the glow of prayers from afar
And by walks in the sun with my good Doctor R.
My Champion's heart and inner fire
Made Doctor R's cautions seem overly dire.
"Look at his eyes, how brightly they gleam"
Beating the odds seemed more than a dream.
But only a dream it turned out to be
Doctor R's warnings became grim reality.
I turned within myself to escape the pain—
The light in my eyes began to wane.
I wasn't myself, I tried to bite
The hands that had cared for me day and night.
I was only trying to tell them, you see,
"I know you love me, please set me free."
"I love you so, I would like to stay
But I wasn't meant to live this way.
I will never again run or jump or fly—
Forever restrained my spirit will die."
"My soul unto the wind is bound
I heed its call, its clarion sound.
To race with the wind and leave it behind—
A triumph seen only in my mind."
Those I loved all gathered near.
I felt their love, I did not fear.
Through the haze I saw the light—
Blue skies, green meadows, what a sight!
My earthbound chains broke and fell away
I'd been here before, I knew the way.
I felt the wind upon my face.
I could tell it had missed me, it wanted to race!
I paused to look back at my friends so sad,
Hoping they could think of me and be glad.
Remembering the good times, the glory, the races
Should surely bring a smile to their faces.
"What could have been" was not meant to be.
Of fairness in life there is no guarantee.
Our destiny is not always what we might hope
But making the best of it helps us to cope.
I know good things will come from my pain.
If others are saved, it won't have been in vain.
And for those who love me, when the wind blows your hair
Say "Hello Barbaro" for I will be there.
