Most days he holds a rake or shovel
Working easily triple, double
The labor and perfection that would cripple
Lesser men!

And after resting briefly,
Dreaming deeply,
He rises and accomplishes again!
Surely he is one of the greatest of them.

Serving proudly, his silence loudly
Proclaming his integrity,
I wonder at this man and ask
Why I see so little of his strength in me.

Sitting in the evening with his coffee,
A newspaper folded on his knee,
He watches the birds, the picture of freedom,
And he grieves for me.

From thousands of miles away,
I feel the arms of my grandfather reaching,
His quiet wisdom teaching.
As we sit and ponder, what it is,
To be free.