Grandfather

Words Never Forgotten
(By Bryan Nicholson - grandchild)

Sitting under the warm gloomy lamplight,
I ponder the pointless papers on my cluttered desk.
My books lay unopened and untouched.
My mind lost in an empty pit of juvenile thought.

Reality beckons with the sharp ringing of the telephone.
The slipping sounds of my mother's slippers,
Bustle down the passage and into my bedroom.

She hands me the cold cordless phone.
I grasp it with both hands and bring it to my ear,
“Hello Bryan, it is Oupa. How are you?”

You spoke to me with vigor and passion.
Timelessly, you grasped my attention.
Your words were like a compass,
Directed and true.

We spoke for hours, about love, hope and destiny.
You never allowed my thoughts to stray
Brick by brick you lay the foundation
Upon which, I govern myself today.

I remember with great anguish
How, you spoke of finding the ends of yourself.
I am certain, that your love and guiding words,
Will echo deep in my heart and unlock the ends of my being.

For one day, I will be calling my own grandson,
With the same passion and conviction;
Destining him to great things.

You are never gone in my heart and mind,
Your words and messages live on.
They live on within me and the lives of others.

We will carry your legacy,
We will begin our journeys upon the road you have lain out.
We will find the good in our hearts and grace in our minds.

Until the day we reach the ends of ourselves.
The guiding star of your journey,
Shall always shine.