thus we oppose entropy

We all are flawed and never will perfect
the skill that Mike had, the noteworthy line;
we try our best and sometimes can affect
the poet or the scholar though not so fine
as he did with effortless skill and grace.
We joke and laugh and choke back all the tears,
it isn't fair and doesn't seem our place;
we wish that we had known him through the years
but know that time and chance had set the rules.
Now with the end of story comes the time
which we must recognise if we're not fools
to praise him who has vanished in his prime.
Across the gap of years and all those miles,
Somewhere I'm certain there's a ghost that smiles.