june 6

my grandfather
thomas, tom
the normandy coast
june 1944
he was there
he survived
most of his friends did not
a nervous breakdown
months in a hospital
he returned home
to a life that
no longer made sense
i remember,
a real darkness
in his eyes
i remember,
i was curious
a man of few words

he would say
what did you say?
i would say
nothing.
he would say
i didn't hear you say nothing!
or his favorite,
you are going to sleep
your life away.
i would yawn
and giggle
he would then walk away

he drank a lot
he smoked even more
spent hours in his garden
so proud of his tomatoes
which i refused to eat
i still do
he sat on his porch
staring, at what, i don't know
some days i would sit with him
very few, if any, words were spoken
after his death
i mourned a man i hardly knew