Mumford
By Leigh Gough

I heard a man had passed away
a man I never met
'cept the words that came and went
across the Internet

he told me 'bout his early years
in Burma and Nepal
of how he flew the cargo in
cross mountains wild and tall

of how he won his DFC,
and how he won his wife
and how his kids and family were
and all about his life

I even wrote a poem once
about this man not met
about his time in world war 2
and ran it on the net

in hopes that others too would see
this honorable older vet
and glimpse behind his veil of age
that time had not killed yet

oh sure the war was long ago
and people might forget
the tired old men that linger on
that didn't fly the jet

we have no time to reminisce
or pass the time of day
with old men's tales of days gone by
just move them out the way

I heard a man had passed away
you may have heard it too
an aged guy with silver hair
that never looked like you

I heard he flew the mountains once
'cross Everest and Tibet
he told me bout his wife and kids
this man I never met...


In Memory of my friend
Willard Mumford
05/08/1923 - 09/28/2000