USA

since67@bendnet.com

Grandpa

Why he had to suffer so
I’ll never understand.
In all my days upon the earth
I’ve met no greater man.
He gave freely of himself,
Yet asked for no return.
Held firmly to his beliefs,
Never did he spurn.
He lavished love onto his kids
And even more than that,
Was never too pre-occupied
To sit and have a chat.
He was a doting husband
To his loving wife
And all the folks in his small town,
Knew him upon sight.
He had that special twinkle,
That sparkled in his eye.
Please dear Lord, tell me
Why grandpa had to die.
His body first betrayed him,
His legs just wouldn’t work.
An active man his whole life,
Yet now he had to shirk.
Lou Gherig’s they called it,
But hell is what it was.
A long and slow decaying
As faculties turned to fuzz.
I watched this man of vigor
As his body did unwind,
Struggle for his dignity
For it doesn’t affect the mind.
He watched and smiled bravely
As his body fell apart,
But no power on God’s green earth
Could take my grandpa’s heart.
Soon he couldn’t lift his arms,
Then he couldn’t lift his head.
We had to roll him on his side
And take him out of bed.
But even near the end
When he could no longer eat,
The spark remained in his eyes,
He’d not admit defeat.
Then that final fateful day,
His lungs refused to breathe
And the greatest man I ever knew,
Went to heaven I believe.

© Copyright 2000, Ray Currey.
All Rights Reserved. Printed By Permission.