It's Been Five (long) Years
Five years ago today (10/25) Paul Wellstone along with his wife and daughter and some staff members died in a plane crash. It was absolutely shocking at the time and I still remember vividly at the time telling my friend Bill about the news flash and then the both of us listening to the radio to get the sad details.
I was absolutely devastated at the news. Although I knew first hand that Paul Wellstone wasn't the greatest Senator - he liked the spotlight more than doing the nitty gritty of Senate work -- but he was a breath of fresh air in a world of self-important, poll-following haircuts that currently over populate Washington D.C. (I'm looking at you Norm Coleman).
Here is a poem that I wrote that night 5 years ago. Time has made it pretty sappy but it the time it helped me deal with my grief, so at danger of looking a little too mauldlin, here goes.
Paul Wellstone's Voice
Paul Wellstone's voice was quiet today
Silenced in the woods and bogs of Minnesota
But it rings in our ears and passes through our hearts
Until it slips unrestrained into our souls.
Paul Wellstone's voice was quiet today
Drowned out by tributes, eulogies, and tears
But it echoes in the minds of those who sow fear
Through cynicism and obstruction.
Paul Wellstone's voice was quiet today
Stilled too sudden and too soon
But it clamors for attention, requires our action
As we arise, staggered from the loss.
Paul Wellstone's voice was quiet today
Called home by God with his wife and daughter
But it demands all those who heard its words
To shout its resolve and heed its passion.
Paul Wellstone's voice was quiet today....