Here is a beautifully poetic tribute to Owen Thomas created by his friend, Justin Reilly.
There are some balls of clay
That were just so easy for God to mold
He took a day off
Just to show them around
Divine infants that just happen
to be the inspiration
He was looking for
The easiest song Led Zeppelin ever wrote
As if they were plucking strands of his DNA
And super glewing them to the insides of our ears
Mashing heartbeats ever so gently
between everything “you knew as a kid”
and “everything you still don’t know now”
Owen
was a 6’2″ fireball of a superhero
An infectious heart beat
with a smile that could save a generation
A soldier on the field
A scholar in Huntsman
And a rock star
about anywhere he felt like it
That man
Played a mean air guitar
And about every time i saw him
He left an imprint on my heart about as deep as the Grand Canyon
A redheaded Arch Angel
with not nearly as much power in his fist
than holy water in his chest
A young man
with this world dancing on his fingertips
and a group of natural born leaders
ready to follow him
When he spoke
it felt like the flood gates opened
a burst of fireflies carrying every word you need to hear that day
came shooting out of his mouth
and everyone felt the childhood comfort of his voice
The samurai wisdom in his teeth
remixed with his quirky lingo
created a language
all to unique to this blessing in cleats
you couldn’t help but laugh
until your side split
or yours eyes shut
because you hadn’t felt that much joy
in days, weeks
Since the last time he entered a room
A heart so big
it has its own gravitational pull
And a smile as bright
as the first time you played football
He was everything pure about being a best friend
Everything beautiful about intensity
and everything quiet about Thunder
A candle that shines far brighter than tonight
or the weeks that follow
He is a torch burning in our chest
to never stop
Never quit pushing
A reason to always put one foot in front of the other
To always lend a helping hand
To walk like a King
And Cherish everyday we are alive
to carry on his legacy
We will truly miss you young King
Your spirit lives on
in every one of us
And we will do our best
to finish what you have started
We love you
Rest easy big fella