The Engineer's Flower

This is a poem I wrote in 2017. I imagine all of my poetry set to music but I am rarely able to come up with my own tunes. This poem I imagine set to the tune of Candle In The Wind by Elton John.

John was fresh out of school
He worked on the railroad too
When he met a girl
And Daisy was her name
He said, come along with me
We’ll live the American dream
If we stick together
Nothing will hold us down
 
There was a rocky start
John was sent off to war
But the allies won
And he made it back okay
He studied to become an engineer
Learned every bolt, valve, and gear
To make enough income
To buy the perfect home
 
He said, together we’ll beat the odds
Just you wait and see
Happily ever after
Just you and me
And we won’t let this world
Get the best of us ever again
We’re gonna make it
We’re always gonna win
 
Daisy and John started a family
Soon their children numbered three
They kept them well-disciplined
And in perfect health
They were living the dream
They made the perfect team
Their commitment let
Them ride out any storm
 
Had no need of charity
Were models of self-sufficiency
John said, all it takes
Is hard work and careful thought
They always carried an extra one or two
In case the first one blew
There was no problem
They weren’t ready for
 
He said, Together we’ll beat the odds
Just you wait and see
Happily ever after
Just you and me
And we won’t let this world
Get the best of us ever again
We’re gonna make it
We’re always gonna win
 
By fine-tuning every task
They made every tool last
John said, there’s no need
To buy it just ‘cause it’s new
Maintenance is key
To longevity
Whether our bodies,
The car, or the home
 
They took all their vitamins
Stayed far away from sin
Sickness was banned
From their utopia
They planned for every contingency
Had systems to correct for failing memory,
Failing vision,
Or limited mobility
 
He said, together we’ll beat the odds
Just you wait and see
Happily ever after
Just you and me
And we won’t let this world
Get the best of us ever again
We’re gonna make it
We’re always gonna win
 
They always knew they’d last
Now seven decades passed
While those in town
All ended up divorced
Daisy asked, if we made it this long
Why can’t we go on?
An eighty-year anniversary
Sounds pretty good to me
 
Though some things had also gone wrong
John asked, where have all the railways gone?
And the peace I fought for
Sure didn’t last very long
They discontinued our favorite brands
So we had to change the plans
They just don’t make things
The way they used to do
 
Still, together we’ll beat the odds
Just you wait and see
Happily forever after
Just you and me
And we won’t let this world
Get the best of us ever again
We’re gonna make it
We’re always gonna win
 
What! We had systems to back up loss of vision, mobility, and memory
But now I’m losing all three
I’m lucky to have
You around, Daisy
She said, I just can’t do it John
I feel that something's wrong
And where are we right now?
And shouldn’t the kids be home from school?
 
What are we supposed to do?
Just me and you?
He answered, we’ll get through it together
Just like we always do
And then came that dawn
When Daisy was gone
Now there’s nothing to do
And no one to do it for
 
What happened to our happily ever after?
What happened to our dream?
Our perfect home
Has come apart at the seams
How could I forget
That everything must end?
Perpetual motion is impossible;
Entropy always wins