Destry Thayne Austin

I have been thinking about Destry a lot the last little while and I thought that I would post the poem that I wrote for him after he passed away. For those of you who knew him you will appreciate the person that he was. I only wish that I could have written this for him before he passed a way. He asked me when he found out that I wrote poetry if I would write one for him; I guess that it's never too late!

There are so many things that I want to say about you,
But nothing seems to sound right.
You were an angle to every one you knew,
You touched us all with your light.

You were a rock and a foundation
For so many along the way,
An inspiration and a guide
For those who had gone a stray.

So many hardships and trails,
You battled with on your own.
You were such a beautiful person
I want you to embody this poem.

You always had a warm smile,
For all those who you’d meet,
You made every one feel special
Friendship was what you would seek.

Always positive and out going
Never a negative word did I hear you say,
You looked for the good in all
Even when you were, having the worst of days

A wonderful son, brother, father and friend
You embodied the meaning of all.
Dedicated to your family
You would never let them fall.

Friends are a dime a dozen,
You befriended every one that you would meet.
For them you would go the distance
You helped keep them on there feet.

When it comes to being a daddy,
Island was an unexpected surprise.
However, when it came to that little girl,
She was the twinkle of starlight in your eyes.

When you were a young man
A hardship hit at home,
You stepped up to the plate
Playing an adult roll.

I guess everything that I wanted to say,
Came out here in this poem.
You touched my life and helped me,
In so many ways that you will never know.

I just wish that I could have wrote this,
For you in this mortal life,
However, I could never find the words,
They never seemed to come out right.

By knowing you, my life was better,
You touched the deepest part of my soul.
You were the greatest person,
I had the opportunity to know.

So spread your wings and fly away,
You deserve this eternal rest.
Because of you, every one you knew,
Had a life that was blessed!

Destry, I love you and miss you,
I cannot wait until the day we are to be reunited again.

Ronda Hard