We wish the last is memorable
Something epic to behold
Perhaps the stuff of legend
And tall tales that will be told
But rarely is it pretty
A glimpse of days now past
A difficult reminder
That most things do not last
The colors are now faded
The cheers a memory too
But there still is admiration
For the contribution that is you
The bar is somewhat higher
The future brighter now
Just know you made a difference
As you take the final bow
About the Poem – The Final Bow
The poem The Final Bow is about a final performance and how it’s rarely what we want it to be. I had been thinking about this for awhile. I had the privilege of seeing Tony Bennett’s last performance live. The TV version took an hour out of the performance and used a little TV magic to paint Tony in the best light possible. It was a memorable performance by all accounts for everyone except Tony. He remembered the words to the song, but that’s about it. I was reading a friend of mine’s book recently and he recounted a story of Frank Sinatra’s final performance where he forgot the words to the song. Again, a celebration of the person.
The event that really triggered the poem was actually Shaun White’s final run during the Olympics. It was not the successful end to a magical career that everyone hoped for. I had met Shaun briefly at a snowboarding competition early in his career. He was not what you would call the model of sportsmanship. After winning the competition and a car, he sprayed the crowd with champaign and walked away. All the other competitors signed autographs and took pictures with fans. Thankfully he has long outgrown his bad boy image.
The Shaun White we saw at his final Olympics was humble and gracious if not entirely ready to pass the baton to the next generations. He handled it well even though he wished the outcome was different.
Inspirational Poetry Books
Here are some of the books that are available from Robert Longley. I would recommend the Sacred Poem journals. Reading my earlier books (especially the ones for Military, Police and Firefighter’s families) cover to cover can be overwhelming. The poetry journals are designed to give you one poem per day while you journal about what might be going on in your life. There are specific journals for grief, success, and more.
Get inspirational poetry books by Robert Longley Here.
Inspirational Poetry Products
While I do signed poetry prints that are 11×14, that isn’t the size or product that all people want. Some just want a sympathy card, others may want a large canvas print, or maybe a coffee cup. There are limits to what I can customize with the options available so some products just don’t work. Please just ignore them, I know that that format doesn’t work. If you are looking for something specific, or would like to make something specific just let me know. I’m open to just about anything.
Get inspirational poetry products by Robert Longley here.
