Your Great Grandfather

I took you to see your great-grandfather

Dressed now in diapers like you

Being fed by a spoon,

Soft food from the hand of a loving woman;

It reminds me (it’s too close) of your state,

Your precious being, your new body

And soul, here and now, rock a bye

Beside his old, four-score, worn

Out body, his tired soul, his broken heart,

I see you both together; you can’t help

But smile and laugh,

That’s all you know in this life:

Both of you,

Joy, freedom - he better than you, in truth

Now that he’s been through it all and approaches

The door, the end, the dark that leads

Only where - we don’t know:

The mysterious Other

Side, the end of the table,

The true head

Seat, the position we’re all fighting for

And, at the same time, desperately hoping to miss,

Avoiding, casting glances every which and other way,

He’s faced with it now, your great-

Grandfather, he’s faced with it now,

His greatness to be tested, his life to be settled

His face now, up and shining, looking through

You, neither one of you perceiving the other -

Only eyes, all eyes, deep,

You and I have been pierced,

And he doesn’t even know; his cares are with us no longer,

They shouldn’t be,

He, naked before God, all still, all radiant, all things uncovered,

This is a moment for us to shine too, reflecting his

Great reflection, the light, he earned, pulled down

From up there, given, the gift you have,

But only, right now, in relationship with him,

Only now, inasmuch as he is yours, only great

Both grand and great, in his light, basking

In the wake of a man who has lived