Dedicated to my grandfather Boris.

It is strange grandpa,

Me talking to you now,

As though you were still here,

I know that you are up there,

Watching me,

From the afterlife,

I still remember you,

Although sometimes,

I may act like I forget,

I haven’t forgotten you,

You are still in my heart and my mind,

I remember sitting on your knee when I was young,

I remember kissing you goodnight,

I remember playing games,

I remember you coming home from work,

Late at night,

Tired and dirty,

I remember the presents you gave me,

For my birthday and Christmas,

I remember going to the auctions with you,

I remember having to talk loudly,

Because you were going deaf,

I remember watching you sleep in your chair,

Taking short naps,

And soon,

You began to sleep all day,

I knew you were ill grandpa,

I watched you get worse everyday,

I didn’t want to face the thought of you dying,

So, I turned away,

And we grew apart,

You got worse,

Until you had to go to hospital,

I remember going to see you,

All those machines connected to your body,

You looked hardly human,

And again,

I couldn’t face the thought of you dying,

And didn’t visit again,

Until the last day of your life,

I thought you were getting better,

I thought you’d be coming home soon,

I didn’t even get to see you that day,

You had gone into cardiac arrest when

I arrived,

And died before I could see you,

I remember seeing your body in the bed,

Looking just like you did,

When you took your naps,

I remember crying,

And crying,

I remember dad and grandma,

Very upset,

Like me they didn’t have a chance to say

Goodbye,

I remember the funeral,

Everyone there,

Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Family friends

And people I didn’t really know,

I remember getting angry,

Because it wasn’t time for you to go,

I remember the ride to the cemetery,

Following the car carrying your coffin,

Getting even more angry because the

Men from the funeral parlour drove too fast,

They had no respect,

They didn’t know what a great man you were,

I remember watching as they lowered you into the ground,

And breaking down as I took a handful of dirt and threw it

Down to where you were going to live from then on,

I know grandpa,

That I don’t visit you now,

But I want you to know,

That I remember you always,

And I never will forget.