Twenty-one years old, or, I should say young, with the fair coloring and grace of a trumpeting swan, youth of intellect and blameless goodness. He attended a LGBTQ meeting on the campus of the University of Wyoming on October 6, 1998, afterwards he dropped by the Fireside Bar for a drink. Two malevolent men lured Matthew from the bar, they tortured the youth of the peaceful presence. They left him to die on a deer-proofing fence near a rural roadside. Hours later a cyclist who at first thought Matthew was a scarecrow, then recognized him, he, Matthew of an angelic face, the swan, the delicate swan. Tear tracks streamed on his cheeks. After a six day coma in the hospital, Matthew of this sad earth passed away, candlelight vigils glowed the world over. Hate crime legislation across the U.S. was born, Matthew, a citizen of global humanity, murdered for simply being gay. Matthew's angels still console the tearful hearts of light, neverending. ~ In Loving Memory of Matthew Shepard ~