This is dedicated to a friend of mine. God-Speed and we will miss you

They buried him today,

he had just turned forty-four.

 Twenty years he had put in

on this local factories floor.

As I walked past his post,

on the way to my own.

  I saw a stranger in his place.

It was then that I realized,

that I shall not be able to say

 "hello" to him anymore.

 I stood in silence for a moment

 and looked at the new guy standing tall.

and all I could do was ask myself,

 "Why?".

 Twenty years of sweat and toil,

but yet, the job continues on...

Continues on,

with a stranger in his role.

Continues on,

with a new soul.

I laid this thought upon my heart

and discovered a truth for myself.

Too often, we tend to over-inflate

 Our own self worth,

 we think that what we do in this life,

cannot be done better by anyone else.

Yet....

 The job goes on

 as I catch the new mans eye.

I nod and wave,

For he is the new face….

THIS DAY.

J. Allen Wilson © 2003