So long, D-Lee

An ode to Derrek Lee:

So long, D-Lee, we hardly knew ye
But your stoicism suggested great integrity
As hitter and defender you weren't lacking
Though sometimes in the clutch went down hacking

You were a Cub seven years and MVP-like in 2005
But when the Cubs needed levity, you seemed barely alive
Your bat for two seasons helped make the Cubs great
Even though they couldn't end the drought in '07 or '08

Now, you are aging, but still have some skill
You'd be gone already if a trade you didn't kill
Remember when you and Aramis seemed like the foundation
That would bring happiness finally to all of Cubs Nation?

Well, you were good, but not good enough
And to hear you talk of negativity is kind of tough
When you were a guy who could have changed all that
Instead, like others before, you're leaving town with your bat

You're handing the challenge over to a band of young guys
And old Aramis, too, though he may yet cut his Cub ties
The future of the Cubs is now Tyler and Starlin
And when we reach the end, you'll be remembered more as a Marlin