Bob Dylan Awarded Medal of Freedom

I see you on stage, accepting your badge Looking like time erased all definition From your stodgy face Sometimes I wonder if you realize what you've done- In interviews, always cagey Mercurial like the days of England prancing on half-beaten guitars With a litany of melted stories We salute you from coast to coast: A sultan of piercing lyricism Making time stand still with song. When nuclear war towered, Belting out when I die in my footsteps You are a rare animal trekking Through a wasteland of fear When I was a teenager Crawling through mirrors, Visions of Johanna blasted my skull Making a temple for me to grow Though Mona lisa had the highway blues I can feel the spine of your voice As I round early adulthood Learning the deepest reaches of love, Speaking like silence There's no way to catalogue the impression you've had So as you stand there on stage Being hung with the President's medal Know that you've made an impact Your life will inspire Humanity for generations to come