The Most Important Men In My Life

My paternal grandfather has passed away

Some 10 years ago and

My father moved out to

New Mexico soon after.

My brother, who lived next door,

Has since moved away to Jasper, Texas.

My one remaining elder, my

Maternal grandfather, now in a nursing home.

The most important men in my life

Now gone or moved away right

When I need them the most.

My safety net gone, I am so utterly alone.

There's a void in and around me,

An emptiness not so easily filled

By cellphone calls or occasional visits.

I'm not a little boy anymore,

But right now, I sure feel like one.

Sometimes lost, sometimes helpless,

But I am my father's son and

My grandfathers did teach me.

So I buck up and I deal and I cope.

I pray and I make it happen, just as

They did and I am my own man.

Grandpa was right, God is

My only friend and stay close to Him

And all I will ever truly have

Are my brothers and sister.

The most important men in my life

Are no longer so physically close

As I would have them be;

But what they taught me and

How they love me and

Their very spirits are with me - always.