Had Earnest never fumbled
Or Casey didn’t whiff
I’ve spent a lifetime dwelling in
The shadows of “What if?”
Would Reagan be remembered
For a less momentous quote
Had he not agreed to speak
Those words that Peter wrote
And if he hadn’t said them
In that time and in that town
Would the wall that split the world
Ever have come down?
If Ross Perot was not inclined
Or not been such a pill
Would we have been spared the years
Of Hillary and Bill?
Could we really have evolved
(Forgive me my frustration)
With a different outcome
Toward a kinder, gentler nation?
Would the quarrels that we have
Seem somewhat less a fight
Seen against the glimmer of
A thousand points of light
He had a milder message
And a call we did not heed
But was there ever anyone
More qualified to lead?
A veteran, a congressman,
Ambassador, a VEEP
The hardest job on earth
And he could do it in his sleep
History will tell us where
He ranks upon the list
But his kindness and his character
Will certainly be missed
