To Lance! To Life!

Heard of Paris? Eiffel Tower? And have you of, Le Tour?
Lush green meadows, snow capped Alps, of soothing sights?
France- you remember it for beauty, wine, the language, and
Lance, you rhyme with France in every sense, you are Life.
To Lance! To Life!

The young years, of rush of blood and ambitions,
Cruel cancer got you then, at age five and twenty
Perhaps the nature was testing you, or was it God?
What of it? You took it on, with a smile and a strife.
To Lance! To Life!

Slowly it consumed your body, made you sick,
As if telling you, that's it mate, it's all end of it,
It nearly killed you, yet couldn't touch your spirit
It only strengthened you, and your belief,
To Lance! To Life!

No, it's impossible, quit the hope, weren't you told?
This challenge, this purpose, you set in search of Gold.
You looked death in its eye, got pitched back, recharged.
You knew it, the meaning of life was not only to survive.
To Lance! To Life!

Bending roads, and mountains, weather so erratic,
Be it rain, snow or storm, lightening? to you, what of it?
You were there, on the roads, sweating it out, steaming,
launching attacks, competing for edge over your past self
To Lance! To Life!

If it had not happened to you, you wouldn't have won
even a single Tour, you ended up victorious in but seven.
Was that a miracle, or a mere show of determination?
or did the death leave something in you, something divine?
To Lance! To Life!

You admired rivals one and all, respected them for their worth.
You knew strongest of them was none but your self from the past
You challenged the mountains but never insulted their height,
You proved a champion, that the best opponent desired to resign,
To Lance! To Life!

I have done it, you can too, you patted on their backs,
You stood with those patients, shook their hands.
Being an athlete was only one side of your being,
Back from the black world, you knew the dark feeling.
To Lance! To Life!

Not many tales are around, not even imaginary, or true,
that sing of courage, belief, and brim with determination,
From yours, if one may, there is so much to learn
How true! The meaning of life is not only to survive.
To Lance! To Life!