It was Nixon's last day at the White House.

He was a vulnerable man,
meandering through the halls of history,
one step forward, two steps back

Once he was
a dreamer of faraway places,
a leader with ideas and purpose,
a seeker of peace

Critics saw him differently...
an easy target for derision,
fit for caricature,
for satire

Now he prepares to leave
this temporary home,
faced with dread awakenings,
his final hours slipping by

Soon a valet will knock on his door
and there will be no more dreams left
to interrupt