| Ode
To Nick Masullo
A poem by Jay Ross
May 2006
Sitting in his wheelchair,
He looks out on the world
With the same shining eyes
And the same beautiful vision of life
That has shone through those eyes for decades.
You can’t cripple a man
Simply by taking away the use of his legs.
You have to take away his spirit.
And this
You will never take from this man.
I remember Obi Wan Kenobi
While battling Darth Vader
Obi Wan looks Darth in the eye and says
“If you strike me down,
I shall become more powerful
Than you could possibly imagine”.
This man in this chair,
Is stronger today
Than most people ever become
In their entire lives.
And from his chair on wheels,
He reaches out
And touches the world
With stunning agility, grace and power.
Writing songs that touch the heart of mankind,
When his hands can no longer strum the guitar
The world,
In the form of fellow musicians
And friends,
Joins in
And plays for him.
The music doesn’t stop here.
The music doesn’t stop now.
The music of this man
Is a powerful as the man himself.
And power like this
Is eternal.
This is how a man lives forever.
He becomes a part of life.
And lives in the hearts and minds
Of everyone he has touched.
Of this man, it can truly be said
He is a legend
In his own time.
And when the legend is told,
As it already is,
It will go something like this:
He stood taller
While sitting in his wheelchair
Than most men even aspire to.
And from this vantage point
He gained a perspective on the world
That few ever get
From their upright and lofty positions.
Hark ye than the words of this man
And feel
The Power…
Of Love.
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