In remembrance

In my mind I still see it
The kind old face
The wire-back chairs

I feel it
The hot sun on my skin
The wetness at the back of my neck

I smell it
The faint waft of tropical flowers
The strong smell of a cigar

The smoke from the cigar circling up gently
The grey haired man smiling gently
His voice soft

I also remember the warnings
NEVER ask your Granddad about the war
DO not talk about it

Yet here we are
In a quiet garden
Thousands and thousands of miles away from his home country

Surrounded by his memories

He shares his memories
He speaks softly
without bitterness
with wisdom

I feel so blessed
My young heart not even truly recognizing the value

I'm so naïve
Life hasn't hit me yet
Heartache is a concept

He shares his memories

My mind swims
Some things I can see, imagine
Some I can't

...

Time has passed
I'm older
wiser
a bit more scarred

And yet I've never lived through a war as they did
But we've had our own battles
Our own losses

Now I remember

I sit in my home with my children
surrounded by noise
distraction
and I remember

An old man who shared