Andre's Smile

At Andre's candle light vigil, students repeated over and over again how Andre Williams always managed to put a smile on their face, no matter what kind of day they were having. Some students claim they have never seen Andre without a smile on his own face. With this poem I'm depicting things I heard about Andre at the candle light vigil.

No room for frowning on his face
No place for anger in his heart
Good thoughts he shared in his own way
He always brightened up the day
He treated me as his own child
Showed love and care, with a smile
That awesome Andre smile

Drums softly beat at Northview High
The choir sings a song
Football remembering you this year
With black and gold touchdown
Cheerleaders cheer your name, Andre
Marching band, we will step high
Cross country runners compete in honor of your name
Sports, custodians, students, staff, faculty and administrators
We honor you with a smile

Andre's smile, always brightened up my day
Andre's smile, when obstacles were in my way
He talked with me a while
He taught me how to smile
It helps to wipe my tears away
Remembering, Andre's smile

You touched the lives of Vikings, the young and the old
You honored and upheld our colors, the black and the gold

How do we measure this man
How do we measure his life
How do we measure Andre
We measure him with love

For Andre, raise your candles
Raise your candles high
Raise your candles toward the sky
Not easy to say goodbye
You gave us love, joy, humor and you left us with your smile
We're so blessed that you were with us for a little while.

Dedicated to the late Andre Williams:
Died September 2010 at the age of 45