The Builder
You — Gracious, Brave Protector, Father — built
Upon a firm foundation first a home,
Each brick, each plank, each promise fixed, no tilt,
A compass pointing north, a metronome.
You — Gracious, Brave Protector, Father — built
A sturdy bridge, then two, then hundreds more,
So traders, far above swift streams and silt,
Could buy and sell, explore the distant shore.
You — Gracious, Brave Protector, Father — built
A winding road, through wilderness, to scout,
A path to lead the young, with hand on hilt,
Discovering what life is all about.
You — Gracious, Brave Protector, Father — built
An arbor tinted not in greens but blues,
To cultivate young minds, as not to wilt,
To educate for higher things — to choose.
You — Gracious, Brave Protector, Father — built
A monument to liberty and truth,
Constructed not with ornament or gilt,
But with ideas imbued with ageless youth.
You — Gracious, Brave Protector, Father — built
With strong, committed hands a legacy
Of daring and repose, no guile or guilt,
Of passion, love, and generosity.
Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation.