My oldest has been working on an assignment for her english class. The topic was, write an ode to an elder who means alot to you. She chose Pappy, my grandfather. She asked me to read over it for a final edit before she printed it out. Amazing. I sat there with tears streaming down my face. The picture that she creates with her words is remarkable. For anyone who knew my Pappy, she has captured him so perfectly with her words. If you didn’t know him, let me introduce you….

Remembering Pappy

In the silence of Pennsylvania Furnace.
A story echoes,
Come there, stay there.
Remembered through time.

A man; born under the untamed moon,
Remembers the life of wild times;
When war reigned and he fought.
The man was an ox,
Strong forever.

As he aged things slowly changed,
His eyes became a fault.
Nothing with a touch of something,
The corner of the world he could still see.

He learned in the war,
that time was a gift.
He became a friend, with his “mouth organ”
A language he knew; and knows forever
showing that he was still strong.

In the beginning he was a broad winged bird.
One protective and bold.
Still loving and sweet,
He changed my world and never stopped.
He taught that nothing hurts more then not getting back up.