Namesake

Who were you, Robert Williams,
namesake on the wall?

A black
polished tabla rosa.

How young were you
when they put you in the ground?

Who were you, Robert Williams?

Were you white, black, red
or brown?

Were you a volunteer or a draftee,
or just some young grunt
caught somewhere in between?

Who were you, Robert Williams?

How many days did you have left
on your tour the last time out?

Was there someone waiting on you
back in the States?

A Mom and a lover?



Did one call you, Bobby,
and the other always Bob?

Who were you, Robert Williams?

Did you ever really make out
what all the strife and struggle
was about?


Over Tet and Watts,
My Lai and Kent State,
Watergate and the Chicago 7?

And, did it ever really matter
anyhow?

Who were you, Robert Williams?

Where were you the day
JFK got shot?

And, better yet, where were
the rest of us the day
they put you in the ground?

Who were you, Robert Williams,
namesake on the wall?

A black
polished tabla rosa.