The Mantle
"My Father, My Father, the Horsemen and Chariots of Israel" (2 Kings 2:12)
My Mentor has taken leave of Earth
Gone to his good reward.
His gift to me he left behind,
He gave to me this word.
"You met me at my end of days,
You saw me old and frail.
You loved me as you saw me go,
As life began to fail.
"You were kind to this old man,
You listened to my stories,
You heard me recite my failures
and heard of my past glories.
"Your kindness has been noted,
You're so good to this old oak,
So when I leave this world behind,
I'll give to you my cloak."
Quick as a wink my mentor left,
departed for heaven's distant shore.
I thought of what he meant to me.
As I was before.
When I first met him, my soul was crushed,
Crying, having failed again.
He dried my tears with gentle hand,
And arranged to take me in.
He gave me the privilege of helping him,
Put his writings in line.
Sorting songs and scribblings
Touchstones from his time.
His writings were so powerful,
So clear and so strong,
What he'd written and how he'd done it.
Picked me up and moved me along.
He gave me a base to work from,
He helped me fill my soul's hollow.
He trusted me and lifted me,
Blazing a trail for me to follow.
He'd prepared me for this fateful day,
Now I stand here watching him go,
The scary thing that I must do,
The task so well I know.
I ripped my clothes away from me,
Rent from navel to nape,
I threw away my tattered rags,
and put on my mentor's cape.
"Who'm I kidding" , I thought to myself,
"Thinking I can wear his kit"
But as I stretched and tried it out,
I was amazed how well it fit.
It fit because he trained me well,
Poured out his gift on me,
His cloak must be a form-fitting one,
it's adjusted itself to me!
Thank you, Richard, for so many blessings,
Your memory's so dear,
Because of all you gave to me,
I can take the story from here.
