For my Grandfather

This very moving and poignant tribute was written by Kathy Thomas

For my Grandfather

He always seemed so old, the grandfather I knew.
His eyes were always smiling, his voice soft and kind.
Yet in his mind were horrors, behind his eyes
Visions so terrible that he never could forget.

Time spent in mud filled trenches, living with terror every day.
Nightmares as he slept, if he slept at all.
His youth stolen from him during those terrible years;
A gentle man who had to kill or be killed.

You always seemed so old and yet you died so young,
Many years before on a battlefield the rest of your life was lost.
You could never run, dance or lift your children or grandchildren.
I never will forget you lovely man, sitting in your chair.

I never knew the young man who went so hopefully to war.
I only knew the old man who returned.
His lungs seared by mustard gas, his mind forever lost to horror.
I knew him all too briefly, as a child who did not understand.

I wish I could meet you now, get to know the man behind the smile.
Hold your hand and thank you for risking your life,
For living each day not knowing if it would be your last.
For doing that for me; then tell you how much I love you.

Written by: Kathy Thomas