In Memoriam To A King (2)

Never in the archipelago's history has anyone
Been so loved (and missed) in all barrios, towns
And cities in a scale so big and in meaning so heartfelt.
He lived wanting to touch even more...
So he "threw himself in" as a player
In the country's deadliest game. And--clean and hard,
He played it, but sadly was "put down"--big time
And mocked and divested "to the bone"
As one who did not have the right
And this 'other' stuff...and guts?
He lost the game, but not the love and support
Of countless millions of die-hard fans--
Bullish all (even months after his untimely passing)
In their belief that, like the heroes he played so
Gentlemanly and gallantly in all his movies,
He won the game he played.
And from where I stand--as a compatriot and a fan,
I declare standing tall and unafraid: