Monday, December 15, 2008

They Will Never Know

Did I mention that I am taking a writing class as part of ongoing professional development? I think I did! So we have been working on creating a body of work in that class. Last time we were asked to take a group of words and write a story, a memory or a poem with those words. I chose these words: car, chrome, polish, grandpa, smile, treasure.

As I sat and looked at the words, I remembered that as of January 25th my beloved grandfather Ed Reidel passed away 20 years ago. I was just 16. This got me to thinking about my much younger cousins who never knew their grandpa and how he never met his 5 great-grandchildren. So this poem, while not totally true and will probably make my mom and Aunt Sandy cry, is my recollections of truly memorable character!


They will never know
his goofy smile,
through the unfiltered cigarette
that seemed to stretch out a mile

They will never know
his love of rusty tractors,
that seemed to shine
like an old protector

They will never know
how he polished up my bike,
so I could ride down hill
and didn't have to hike

They will never know
his big old boxy car,
with two chrome exhaust pipes
that never went far.

They will never know
how he treasured Sunday fun,
when grandpa's creaky voice
said there's my favorite one.

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