Shucked oysters on the table,
horseradish and shells left on the plate,
empty glasses of beer,

He looks at me and smiles,
Under the bar lights I notice
His black wavy hair has thinned a little in the part,

Oddly it filled me with love for him,
I imagined him as an old man,
Gray hair... maybe none,
Lanky as always but moving slower,
His bad back bugging him more than ever,
His skin rough from too many sunburns,
Still telling strange jokes…

Only by then they will truly be dad jokes...
Grandad jokes...

When I look at him
I can see a lifetime.