ODE TO JOHN MCCAIN (RIP?)

Friends, Americans, countrypersons, lend me your minds;

I come to mourn McCain, not to pillory him…

McCain was a national hero but, alas, he, like us, was a muddled man, a mass of contradictions…

McCain’s father and grandpa were World War heroes; McCain was a Vietnam vet, a wounded hero and a committed Hawk. But, alas, McCain remained Hawkish, too long after our country left Hawks behind…

McCain’s military service was a lofty calling, a cause, he said, was above himself. But, alas, in civil service, he was a maverick, too principled to be a team player…

McCain was human and he made mistakes; he waffled over Southern statues and picked Sarah Palin; and, alas, in his final years, he turned a cynic, embittered and angry…

McCain’s funeral, they say, will keep out not only Palin and Trump but also some of his campaign aides! If true, alas, isn’t this carrying grievances too deep into one’s grave?…

McCain, a woebegone warrior, a hero, too ruptured to rest in peace…

Oh, dear John McCain, Cain’t you ever R.I.P.?