Ode to Appleton versus Chavez
From the land of the Bard seeking fortune and fame
Came backer and marksman of redoubtable aim.
Landfall they made in the peninsula of gold
Warriors they encountered of gamble bold.
Battles commenced with a rifle crack
And ended, the strangers with money-filled sacks.
Then these fateful words were said:
In New York wanders the son of Cortes.
Seeking the foreigner in a foreign land
North they journeyed to find the man
of whom they’d heard so much about
Old he appeared, grey and worn out.
The young champion, fire-forged in the Philippines
Anticipated victory in these humble scenes
Of smoke, and babble, and fields of green.
Confident was he and so he chose
To join battle in the land of his foe.
They grappled and tossed, the young man and old
As the night advanced, in an ebb and flow
Ever nearer growing the finish line
With age conquering youth this time.
Twas the first occasion in this new land
The youth felt the burn of gold leaving his hand.
A champion does not easily accept defeat
And so the youth again sought the son of Cortes to meet
Battle was joined at the sound of midnight
Crowds watched excited until the morning light
When again defeated was the young lion
And the old man emerged champion
Youth will have its day
And that day will come surely
But just as surely will the aged and old
Have dreams and memories worth more than gold.
