ODE TO THALI
A
She came from the Rocky Mountains
So many years ago.
Has it been one half a century?
Father Time has never been slow.
What changes she has seen
In a truckstop of a town.
A city of modest beginnings
Is now of world renown.
A city is only as strong
As the leaders good people elect.
There were highways to be built.
There were children to protect.
She knew that she could help,
Tossing her hat in the ring.
An election she did win.
New blood she would bring.
Serving the people greatly,
A career now twenty years past.
We could not call her flamboyant.
Her legacy will surely last.
Las Vegas the entertainment capital,
You helped the city grow.
For the few uninformed,
We now must let them know.
Appointments by five different Governors,
Did you know them well?
You outlasted all but one.
Oh the stories you could tell!
Thanks for Secret Witness.
It put criminals in their place.
The Girl Scouts send their love.
You gave them poise and grace.
Of role models there are none better.
So we raise a glass in cheer.
We know you heard them before,
A three-time Woman of the Year.
How about community involvement?
Your causes too many to list.
Please keep the fire burning
For your wisdom would be missed.
Accomplishments a plenty,
As a parent you were always near.
For in nineteen seventy-six,
You were voted Mother of the Year.
It is often thrown about
All good things must end.
Those words now ring true
As we say goodbye to a friend.
One day we must all retire.
We know you'll have none of that.
There are many whom wish you well,
Some fear you will soon be back!
Take good care of those grandkids.
Continue to practice your art.
Give us a call now and then.
From our hearts you will never part.
And so farewell dear Thalia.
Go proudly with our tears.
Las Vegas will truly miss you.
Thanks for those twenty years.
-AKP
