Russert Poem by Barry Van Allen

There really aren't that many,
that I give a damn about,
or that I really thought,
would give a damn 'bout me.

I couldn't fill a hand up,
if it came time to count celebrities,
that I wanted to be seated next to,
on a flight across the country,
... Tim was number one.

I was always sort of hoping,
that we would meet along the way,
... some day,
and now it's never going to happen,
I feel the world is now a poorer place.

' They ' say the good die young,
' They ' say a lot of silly things,
today it seems there's something to that,
and sometimes life ends up that way,
I'll bet that Tim would be the first to question,
the ' They ' that I have mentioned,
but alas, he's passed away.

His gentle manner and his open style,
belied the doggedness within him,
and yet everybody knew that it was there,
they knew that if they told him,
what he knew were ' Fairy Tales ',
... there's a big old nasty cat in there,
and you don't want to play with that one!

I'm not sure if I mixed metephors,
but if I did... it was intentional,
maybe Tim and I can sort that out,
if I ever do get up there.

I saw his living legacy,
being interviewed the other day,
and knowing Tim was such a legacy,
I thought of apples falling close to trees,
about Tim's book ' Big Russ and Me ',
and who Luke wanted on his side and why.

I'm sure you're proud of Tim's accomplishments,
and hope the grief that you are feeling,
is somewhat tempered by the knowledge,
that a country shares the loss with you,
... It's always tough to lose a really good one,
especially a shining son.

Everything that you gave to Tim,
has clearly all been passed along,
and the beauty of the whole damn thing,
is that Luke feels where it came from,
while still so very young.

He was the friend of every man,
and there are few that can say that,
... and have it actually be true,
he was the teacher and the preacher,
without teaching tough or preaching much,
it seems that everybody learned from his example.

I guess it's who you are,
along with some of where you were,
mixed in with some of how you got there,
and not so much about the time,
that you reach the finish line.

So many people tried to say it,
in each his own way, big and small,
BUT the rainbow over Washington,
when they walked out of the services,
... seemed to say it all!


NOTE: For those that may not know, Tim Russert was a very highly respected newsman and author in the U.S. He was from Buffalo, N.Y. and was known for his tough questioning of the major figures of his day. He passed suddenly in June 2008 at the age of 56 and left behind a beautiful family as well as a shocked and grieving country. This is particularly for his father known as ' Big Russ ' and his son Luke, who is following in the huge foot steps of his father, and seems to be off to a fine start.