The loss of a great man

Last night at approximately 10 pm, the world lost a great man - my grandfather. At 94 years old, he had witnessed so many amazing pieces of history and made plenty of history himself as the father of 6 children. I have many found memories of spending time with him and my grandmother as a child in their large house. When my grandmother passed away, he moved forward by selling his home and continuing to live life to the fullest, eventually even finding himself a lovely girlfriend whom I fondly looked at as a second grandmother.

For many of his years he was very healthy, and only within the last few years did he really show any signs of age complications. I am thankful that I had plenty of time to perfect my goodbye and that I am able to mourn his passing with no regrets and only a sadness at the loss and a sense of happiness that he is no longer suffering.

When I was younger, I believe around 10 to 12 years old, I wrote a poem in his honor. It was a bit of a stretch, as I was never really interested in fishing, though he was in all truth a great fisherman and even made money on the side by selling nightcrawlers (and let me tell you, I can still remember the first time he opened up his basement fridge and it was full of buckets of worms - not a pretty sight lol!). But he inspired it, so it's always been "his."

Here's to you, Grandpa, and I hope you've found peace.
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Dear Grandpa, by Jessica Buike. 

This morning it was so very nice

that I decided to go fishin’.

I didn’t have a pole, so

I took yours without permission.

I wasn’t trying to be bad, and

I didn’t mean you any harm,

I just wanted to go fishin’

in that pond behind the farm.

I was being very careful as

I slowly set the pole right

in its special fishing place

that you showed me just last night.

Then suddenly I heard a great splash

and up from the middle of the lake

came a gigantic fish, and guess what?

Your fishing pole it did take!

I would’ve fought the fish for it

(I’m sure I could have beat him!)

but you see, my dearest grandpa,

I don’t know how to swim!

And so now as I am walking up the lane

I’m writing you this note

to tell you I lost your fishing pole, and that

next time I’ll take you and your fishing boat!

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