That Day

As a young child,

I had to say goodbye to my grandpa

He had been apart of my life

From the day I was born

Along with my grandma,

He was always there

With arms wide open,

Reaching out for a warm hug

He was constantly cracking jokes,

Giving the gift of laughter

Despite how he felt, my grandpa

Was only concerned with

Making those around him feel better

Once the cancer took over,

He slowly faded away,

Like a wilting flower

I'll always remember the day

I said farewell to him

Standing at his side,

I gripped his hand,

And said a few simple words,

"I love you"

At that point, he was a husk

Of his former self,

So skinny his ribs starkly stuck out

The twinkle of life no longer shone

In his dark eyes

But from the look on his face,

I knew he'd understood my words

I could see the feeling was returned

After that brief exchange,

I quickly walked away,

Holding a blank expression,

While fighting to keep

Fresh tears firmly at bay