“There is no pain so great
as the memory of joy in present grief.”
Larry Stansbury
The speakers are spilling
Your memory into my room
And I'm crying
Even as I dance.
Oh, Toby,
With all the evil-doers
And ne'er-do-wells in this world,
Why were you chosen
To take?
But they say that
Only the good
Die young,
Which means we're stuck
With them
For as long
As Hell keeps them here.
But, rest assured,
Your memory
Will live on
To give us good times
To remember,
And, in my case,
To dream of dancing
On a certain dance floor.
Going around and around,
And meaning it exactly
Like that.
I didn't follow Toby Keith. But I'm certainly familiar with some of his songs. Maybe, Don't Let the Old Man In (I haven't) was prophetic. But then, some of his other songs were very apropos for the times.
I can see why you mourn him. He was probably one of your favorite persons to listen to when you turned on the country music.
Great poem! However, I am not sure if is in memory of Toby Keith. After all, he did write a song where he talked of going round and around on the dance floor and was the most popular singer/guitar player in Country Music for a while. If so, I thank you for writing it in memory of my favorite singer since Elvis! But after I read what Toby did for kids and their families with a good portion of his earnings, I was very touched. The center or ranch was built by Toby Kieth to duplicate the efforts made by the St. Jude Hospital for Children. Toby also had many free concerts for the folks in the military. I was in the Air Force for 24 years so I could appreciate that as well. He was a GOOD MAN and his final TV interview on Youtube said it all. Rest in Peace and God be with you to my hero and my friend. I pray you made it to the gates of Heaven in the end. Amen and Amen. John Michael Domino
I can see why you mourn him. He was probably one of your favorite persons to listen to when you turned on the country music.
Ron