The Old Man In the Rocker

The old man still burns wood in his fireplace 
But he doesn’t cut it from the forest anymore 
He buys it from a friend of a friend of his 
And they stack it outside his back door 

His wife passed away six years this April 
But the old man carries on despite his lose 
He says life wouldn’t have been worth a plug nickel 
If Edith’s and his path had never crossed 

He whittles from small branches he cut last week 
And sings some old songs he memorized 
But his fingers are bloodied and battered 
Since he’s losing sight of his eyes 

Ah, but his heart is filled with Gods mercies 
And his prayers are not for things of this world 
And every morning he raises Old Glory 
And watches as the flag becomes unfurled 

He spent a lot time across that big pond 
And those memories sometime makes him cry 
But he never complains about nothing 
He says he’s waiting for that message in the sky 

He says one day Jesus is coming back in glory 
And if he’s alive he’ll be changed in the blink of an eye 
But if un he dies it wouldn’t matter 
Cause he knows he’ll arise by and by 

We buried the old man last July morning 
With that flag draped across his coffin really neat 
He never once asked for nothing 
As his motto was “never ever speak of defeat” 

The old house seemed to know he passed on 
Cause the shutters and shingles are falling down 
And just this morning as I was passing 
That old chimney on the side came tumbling down
Copyright © | Year Posted 2014

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