pipe smoke
spicy sweet tobacco puffed
thoughtfully in little circles
nursery rhymes
a different one for each of us
individual nicknames and songs to match
a little home organ played often
music and laughter still rings in my ears
on the days that i want to remember for comfort.
he loved his family. he loved his home
and he was silly and brilliant and there for us all.
the hourglass sanded out too soon. I was 7.
but three purple hearts survived
to play with grandbabies
i’ll always be grateful i knew my grandaddy.