Bonfire Will Burn This Year
Joy, dreams, laughter, and hope,
Vanish in a dark instant.
Lives slip away—falling.
Into a jumble of ruined futures.
Word spreads with speed of night.
Phones ring, and shaking young voices
Seek to reassure parents—
Needing reassurance in return.
“Pray for me, pray for all of us”
The message repeated across the land.
Each prayer multiplied a hundredfold.
By the Spirit that can Ne’er be told.
Through the long vigil, tears stay close companions,
As Ags search, and mourn, and move logs.
As our family unites more solidly than ever before.
Each new heartache fuels the Spirit to new levels.
Bonfire was never really about those logs anyway.
It was always about us—the great family of Aggies
Joined for ninety years of building a bonfire.
Bonfire brings us together to show our love for Aggieland.
It is the 12th Man’s finest hour.
Bonfire WILL BURN THIS YEAR!!!!
It burns when hundreds wait in line to give blood.
It burns when grieving families are embraced .
It burns when team and students move those logs.
It burns when thousands pray in the afternoon
It burns when thousands more join arms at Reed.
This year Bonfire may not light the night sky of College Station,
But Bonfire will light the hearts of Aggies everywhere.
As the life and spirit of each lost Aggie is remembered
Bonfire will burn—not only this year, but forever
Bonfire 99 is indeed the 12th Man’s finest hour
Kathy Smith
3rd Generation Ag
