The picture showed a contented boy
With golden locks and smile
Full of life at home on his range
Just down that country mile
That was when the sun rose on Mark
The disease hadn’t taken hold
When throwin’ catch twine with his brothers
Was life for the fifteen year old

Stark contrast to the boy lying in bed
With golden locks no more
Tied to a snaked IV and a oxygen mask
With the Nurse’s station out the door
His Children’s Wish was the greatest show
The world famous Calgary Stampede
Broncs, bulls, dust and cowboy’s blood
All the best of the rodeo breed

However Mark is way too sick to go
His frail body starts shutting down
Sometimes wishing just isn’t enough
When you wear a hospital gown
His parents keep a loving bedside vigil
Caring for his every need
The Doctors & Nurses do what they do
Failure they will not concede

The folks at The Children’s Wish Foundation
Do their best to grant a happy face
So a Cowboy Poet with a Randy Travis call
And a Stampede package is their ace
It does the trick and Mark gives a smile
Under his clear oxygen mask
To lighten a heart in a darkened time
Is a very daunting task