Three presidents spoke in poetry, paying tribute to a fallen hero who believed - often against evidence to the contrary, including the cracking of his skull by state troopers - that America was good, its people driven by love to do right by one another.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. flag flew at half-staff, a woman hung her head over a cardboard placard, and on a street corner, a man shouted, "This is for you, John Lewis," before singing "Stand By Me."