Forged on the anvil of anguished despair,
Set on by sorrow, and courted by care,
Still did his verses cause sunshine to start
Leagues upon leagues from his own breaking heart.
Agony sees us come into this life;
Heroes are born out of travail and strife.
Who would ring bells in the heart as his goal
Draws from the source-stuff of his tortured soul.
by Ray Romine Saturday, November 24, 1945
