I stood beside a picket fence,

And let my mind run free –

To the world this is a memory of the man that use to be.

He was a man of courage with the highest of ideals –

He loved this great America and fought with youthful zeal.

He defended us in crisis – forsaking not his fellow man –

In agony he risked his life – time and time again.

He knew the sorrow of the loss of a sister and a brother –

With heavy heart he laid to rest an infant son and daughter.

As I stand beside these mounds of clay and evergreen bows –

I think of what he meant to us and what he means right now.

May we always live in courage – as he wanted all men to –

He admired a tall brave profile – he’d admire it now in you.

He had the energy and youth – the love that makes the world shine bright –

How fitting for his monument – an everlasting light.

And now I must be on my way – but in memory I’ll return –

Where our beloved president lies resting – with his daughter and his son.

Gaylia Kenslow – Stogsdill 1964

Written after visiting President Kennedy’s Grave

Copyright Roy Richard