I have not a creative "word" bone in my body, but fortunately, others do. And in the moments and days following the passing of Adam Cook, many of those creative people shared their gift with us.

The following poems/quotes/lyrics have touched me deeply, and I wanted to preserve them, since they are certain to become lost in the bowels of DWoP as time goes by. If I have missed any, it was pure oversight and I apologize. I know there were also others posted in the remembrance thread, and I apologize for not looking through to capture those. If anyone wants to add more, please do so in the comments.

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A Bond of Brothers (written by archucookie)

An ebony arm band on our sleeve
With heavy heart, we weep, we grieve

A somber song, we reverently play
Brother Adam has passed away

Was it he who taught you how to cope
And inspired your run in a race for hope

This love, this faith, this bond of brothers
Encourages us all to give back to others

How proud he was and shall always be
Of your talent, strength, and humanity

You had your moment eye to eye
For one last hug, one last goodbye

Adam chose this time because he knew
He wanted to run that race with you

Tremendous courage set that pace
And the brothers ran with amazing grace

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Cry (written by Xavier)

I know you can’t see me
Or hear my cracked voice
To hold my weeping hand
Your courageous choice
I can feel the burden
Your soul carried for me
A plea scrawled on your lips
Sung solely for God to see
Oh, there is a light
Heaven showers upon you
A cure for your sacrifice
A breeze of blushing hues
I remember your promise
To look me in the eye
When sorrow held hope
And tears tore the sky
I can touch your face
So lift your weary head high
The pain is gone, my brother
But your love made me cry

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Rain (written by cherryblossom)

Rain falls
each drop shining with grief
with hope
with grace
Tears fall
each drop shining with grief
with hope
with grace
Soaking the earth
where love blooms
like the sun
like laughter
where some see only rain
you find solace
in giving solace
where some see only pain
you find strength
in giving strength
giving comfort
just giving.
You stand in courage, grace, strength, beauty --
the hero in us all.

5/5/09

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(written by cimorene)

He said he would throw up
He said running was the scourge of the earth
He said he was slow
That he wouldn't do well
And that he might not make it

But he put that aside
And for nine thousand people
And for one person
He didn't run.
He flew.
And nine thousand and one flew right along with him.

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(written by Cathryn)

A man of great spirit, hit hard by fate
Responds with great love instead of with hate

His attention turns to others in need
With heart on his sleeve he does the good deeds

Honoring brother, survivors and fans
He holds the hearts of many in his hands

When the day is done and he’s had some rest
He takes time to speak and he does it best

Expressing grief he is willing to share
Spreading the love that he has to spare

David honors family and friends in strife
By continuing A Daily AntheM, LIFE

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(written by bobs.mom)

We met with grace,
When the minstrel sang.
His voice alone,
Did ease our pain.

The minstrel sang
The tune was sweet,
And he ran a race,
On winged feet.

The race he ran,
He ran with love,
For those who suffer,
Or have gone above.

Minstrel ran the race,
With heart brave and true,
He lost by one,
But by 9000 grew.

He called to us,
With his song
“The race is not over,
We must fight on”.

So by his example
We will fight,
For those who suffer
With their plight.

Sing on minstrel,
And we’ll sing with you,
At the top of our lungs
Till this fight is through.

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The Dash - by Linda Ellis
(mentioned by David in this fan interview recap)

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard;
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read
With your life's actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

© 1996 Linda Ellis

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(Author Unknown - posted by Lulu618)

God looked around His garden
And found an empty space
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face
He put His arms around you
And lifted you to rest
God's garden must be beautiful
He only takes the best
God knew that you were suffering
He knew you were in pain
He knew you would never
Be well on earth again
He saw the road was getting rough
And hills were hard to climb
So he closed your weary eyelids and whispered
"May peace be thine"
It broke my heart to see you go
But you didn't go alone
A part of me went with you
The day God took you home.

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Remembered Joy - An Irish Blessing (posted by IrishGalDC)

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free!
I follow the plan God laid for me.

I saw His face, I heard His call,
I took His hand and left it all...

I could not stay another day,
To love, to laugh, to work or play;
Tasks left undone must stay that way.

And if my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss...
Ah yes, these things I, too, shall miss.

My life's been full, I've savoured much:
Good times, good friends, a loved-one's touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief—
Don't shorten yours with undue grief.

Be not burdened with tears of sorrow,
Enjoy the sunshine of the morrow.

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"Franklin's Tower" (posted by KarenLE64)
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia
Copyright Ice Nine Publishing

In another time's forgotten space
your eyes looked through your mother's face
Wildflower seed on the sand and stone
may the four winds blow you safely home

Roll away ... the dew . . .

You ask me where the four winds dwell
In Franklin's tower there hangs a bell
It can ring, turn night to day
Ring like fire when you lose your way

Roll away... the dew . . .

God help the child who rings that bell
It may have one good ring left, you can't tell
One watch by night, one watch by day
If you get confused just listen to the music play

Roll away... the dew . . .

Some come to laugh their past away
Some come to make it just one more day
Whichever way your pleasure tends
if you plant ice you're gonna harvest wind

Roll away... the dew . . .

In Franklin's Tower the four winds sleep
Like four lean hounds the lighthouse keep
Wildflower seed in the sand and wind
May the four winds blow you home again

Roll away... the dew
You better roll away the dew

Annotated here http://arts.ucsc.edu/GDEAD/AGDL/franklin.html

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Life Means So Much, Chris Rice (posted by Bumble)

Every day is a journal page
Every man holds a quill and ink
And there's plenty of room for writing in
All we do is believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessing
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or some random sketching

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

Every day is a bank account
And time is our currency
So nobody's rich, nobody's poor
We get 24 hours each
So how are you gonna spend
Will you invest, or squander
Try to get ahead
Or help someone who's under

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

Has anybody ever lived who knew the value of a life
And don't you think giving is all that
would prove the worth of yours and mine

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much

Every day is a gift you've been given
Make the most of the time every minute you're living

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(posted by sharon05)

"Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others...for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. "Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received."- Albert Einstein

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Gone from My Sight by Henry Van Dyke (posted by rockymountainhi)

I am standing on the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch her until at length she is a speck of white cloud just where the sea and the sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says, "There!...She's gone!"

Gone where?

Gone from my sight, that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side, and she is just as able to bear her load of living weight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says, "There! She's gone!", There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up a glad shout, "There she comes!"

And that is dying.

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Image credit to Travis at david-cook.org