He wasn't a giant,
But he stood tall.

He wasn't big,
But he made other men small.

He was a master,
With time for an apprentice.

To teach the apprentice,
The magic of iron.

To show him the beauty,
Of red hot steel.

He was Francis.

At 3:00 PM Mountain Standard Time,
All over the world.

Anvils began to ring.
94 measured strokes.

In Canada,
In New Zealand,
In Sweden,
In California,
In Arizona,
In Texas,
In Oregon,
In Virginia,
In North Carolina,
In South Carolina,
In Alabama,
And in Florida.

In many other places as well.
The anvils rang.
94 measured stokes.
One for each year of his life.

Saying farewell.
To a Master.

© 1999
Paw Paw Wilson -- pawpaw@pawpawsforge.com - Thursday, 10/28/99 03:37:47 GMT