Le Papillion

He saunters in as if on cue
A dapper man with hat askew
An arch-browed eye raised half in jest
Searches for a place to nest
And spying there some likely sport
He settles down to hold his court

Pearls of wisdom are cast by he
Before swine who hear but do not heed
“On Shelley, on Bach, on Monet and Fry
Forward Dickens and Yeats and even Popeye
Advance ye, elevate ye above common strife!”
The dapper gent pipes on a futile fife

From across the room a glass is raised
A toast is made and a host is praised
A spoon raps crystal to bid thee quiet
As the host steps up into spotlight
And one last toast is soon begun
For the one they call Le Papillion

With patience, poise and gallant flair
He lofts the torch of thinkers rare
Amid the slings of scoff and scorn
And poisoned arrows of cynics born
His only shield—the written word
That raises man above the herd

Be it brownstone, cabin, manor or shack
He bends and blends with white and black
An ebb-er of humor, culture and grace
A flow-er of thought, fashion and taste
But come what ripples of fame and wealth
He remains ever true to family and self

By a campfire's glow a cup is raised
A toast is made and God is praised
A voice is heard out in the night
As friends come forth into the light
And one more toast is soon begun
For the one they call Le Papillion

When marble bears that final date
Month, day and year—the Paps of late
The epitaph shall read with pride
“I may have failed, but God how I tried!”
“A failure—you?” asks Saint Peter, “Indeed…
“Forget ye not, you left a seed!”

Meanwhile the swine now whine while en route
“Wherefore art those pearls we trod under foot?”
Their journey bogged down by quagmires and hooks
Of popular thought, film, art and books
They seek understanding from bestseller lists
Where answers ooze slowly in dribbles and drips

And somewhere above on an astral plane
Where all is love and none is pain
Where rose-lipped maidens and light-foot lads
Romp golden fields with moms and dads
Where Plato, Byron, and Copernicus
Still marvel at the universe
Where family past and friends he knew
Rise up at last and into view
A heavenly host soon gathers round
And escorts him to the one who is crowned
A journey has ended and a life is begun
For the one they call ….. Le Papillion!

Jane, 
My love and prayers are with you. 
                   Myrtle Newberry

Mrs. Faircloth, 
We are so very sorry for your loss and will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.
Wayne, Cathy, Shelby and Whitney Sangster
Pineview, GA

Dear Bruce, you were truely a Renaissance man! A scholar and a gentleman, you will be missed!

Sorry to hear of Bruces' passing.There are many childhood memories of Bruce and Randall that will last forever. Bruce always had an "UP" word for every occasion.Those pearls of wisdom will be truely missed. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

                                                                      Jim Couch, (Athens,Georgia)

I have nothing but fond memories of Paps. I remember being a young Browneye, first experiencing the wonders of a finely mixed Gin and Tonic. Any conversation with him was, for me, filled with laughs and insight. My thoughts go with all the Faircloths during this time. As I like to say, those that have passed are merely getting the afterparty ready for the rest of us.

The best advice I ever got came from Bruce - "Remember who you are!" I will always remember you with much love Bruce! Much love to all the family. Holding Fast, Mary Lu

WELL !!   Weren't you truly one of a kind ? "If you want to dance, be prepared to pay the piper "   and   "Keep it crisp"   and  " I bear the colors from the school of experience - black and blue - with the school yell - OUCH !"   -- just a FEW of the MANY MANY MANY   "pappy-isms" -  Our first brown-eye to leave.

"God moved many lives to show you to me. I think that is the way it must have happened. It was complicated, but very kind."

OBITUARY

Bruce Faircloth

December 26, 1925 – October 14, 2012

Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services