RIP Dolly Parton - 8/25/26
Dolly Parton was as close to a saintly superstar
As any hardworking American musician has ever been
Not just because she united a fractious nation
With the power of her passion for beautiful, brutally
Honest storytelling but because she used every ounce
Of her G-d given talent to transcend limits, encourage
Dreaming (instead of merely wishing), honor her roots,
Enlist laughter and wit to make every kind of person
Feel more at ease with themselves and accepted
It’s been mentioned often in these somber hours
How her unique way of reminding us all that judgment
Is not for humans but for our Maker alone saved lives
Her mere suggestion that our purpose is to love without
Preaching but just by channeling her beliefs into her
Great American Dollybook - love-lost-defended tunes
Triumphant in their universal hues coats of many colors
Wigs with wings butterflies bringing the mountains to
Surrenderings of soul so sparklingly whole you couldn’t
Help but feel confidently yourself just by listening to her
Create her story herstory wistfully we will miss what we
Know we were all too blessed to possess that sense
We all knew Dolly…the icon, the giver, the confessor
The musical genius, bluegrass guitarist, songwriter
So skilled with such conviction that every voice
reinterpreting her spirit grew bolder, enlivened, brighter
RIP to the closest woman our country had to an
All-encompassing American celebrity: in service to
Goodness, leaving the world better than she found it
We will always love you long will your symphony of
Acceptance, understanding and rhinestoned irreverence
Amplify the truth of what holiness comprises
