As You Wish

A poem in tribute to Rob Reiner

He didn’t just make movies,  
he made a stand—  
with words, with actions,  
against silence that lets wrongs grow.

Have fun storming the castle!
a line from a story he told,  
but off screen,  
he stormed real castles—  
battles for justice, for voices pushed down,  
for truth wrapped tight in courage.

He spoke up when many stayed quiet,  
fought for fairness  
like it was a life’s mission,  
not just a choice.

His camera captured smiles and tears,  
but his heart beat loud for change—  
for better laws, better lives,  
for people who needed someone  
to say, This matters.

He left behind more than films—  
a call to keep pushing,  
to keep fighting,  
to keep believing  
in the good worth standing for.

As you wish.

Author’s Note

This past weekend was devastating! It started with the mass murders in Australia and then another shooting that left two dead at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. It ended with the news that Rob Reiner and his wife had been found stabbed to death in their own home.

The poem above is a small way for me to pay tribute to Rob Reiner—someone who inspired many through his work directing (and sometimes acting in) movies I watch over and over, and through his activism.

My favorite Rob Reiner movies are (in no particular order): The Princess Bride, Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men, and This is Spinal Tap. (I haven't seen the second Spinal Tap yet.)

Rob Reiner showed us that life’s battles, whether storming castles or speaking out for change, deserve courage and a bit of fun.

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