John Sterling

A biography of Sterling, was it fitting?
His life, not wondrous, fate not uplifting.
What he did, mere trifles, lost to time,
What he might have done, a forgotten chime.
Why a biography, when peace was sought?
Forced remembrance, a battle fought.
Misremembered, like Guy Fawkes' effigy,
His true self lost, for all to see.
A duty bound, in calmer season,
To clear his name, with reasoned treason.
A friendly soul, a shining light,
His character, both dark and bright.
Condemned for heresy, lauded for virtue,
His life's lesson, a reversed picture.
Not a skeptic, but a hasty believer,
No self-doubt plagued, the eager achiever.
A brilliant improvisatore, swift and bold,
Sheet lightning's flash, a story told.
Seeking religion, in a world of sham,
A victorious believer, not a dam.
He conquered doubt, with valiant might,
A teacher of hope, and guiding light.
Not a hater, but a brother true,
His essence perennial, for me and you.
Though greatness eluded, and fame took flight,
His small story, a beacon of light.
Human portraits, faithfully drawn,
A welcome sight, from dusk till dawn.
Monitions and moralities, in this small work,
A shadow of truth, where shadows lurk.

About Edgar Lee Masters

Edgar Lee Masters was an American attorney, poet, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of Spoon River Anthology (1915), The New Star Chamber and Other Essays, Songs and Satires, The Great Valley, The Serpent in the Wilderness, An Obscure Tale, The Spleen, Mark Twain: A Portrait, Lincoln: The Man, and Illinois Poems. In all, Masters published twelve plays, twenty-one books of poetry, six novels and six biographies, including those of Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Vachel Lindsay, and Walt Whitman.

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