In the Winter of his 40th year
he looked upon the stones
and remembered their faces
when they were younger than he
he remembered how the essence of life
was in their smiles
sustained him through years of darkness
allowed him to survive it
he remembered when they first saw their Grandson
in his arms
as he once was in theirs
'these are your Grandparents kids
they are why you are here'

the wind blew and the leaves swirled
and the Sun was low
as I held them close to me
touched their names and gave them back their smiles