He Was Our Grumpy Old Man

He was a grumpy old man
And there was no one at the funeral to deny it.
Even he didn't pretend to be otherwise.
Yet the whole town turned out
To pay their respects.

All but the very young stood at the podium
To farewell this grumpy old man,
In words that big city folk would call derogatory,
But to this grumpy old man it would have been seen
As speaking plainly with heartfelt honesty.

For even when grumpy and he was most of the time,
No one in need did he ever turn away,
He was generous with his time.
And his money though plenty,
Never made the bank rich.
In between his grumps he even gave out some sound advice.

In case you are wondering what they put on his headstone
The choice was obvious to all who had given him the time of day.
"He was our grumpy old man"
Copyright © | Year Posted 2016

Poem

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Palli Avatar
August 8, 2016 at 1:06 AM
I like this one, David. It will help me to remember to ignore the minor faults and see the good heart inside!
Smith Avatar
August 8, 2016 at 5:25 PM
Thank you Susan. Being seen as grumpy is part of the ageing process. Have been called that by my eldest daughter who loves me dearly. And as women live longer they may end up being called very old grumpy old women or not. Was lucky to spend time with my children when I was young so have some brownie points left to cash in when I am grumpy. Thanks again for taking time to read my poem. Regards David in NZ.
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