The Man Who Dies(With the Most Memories Wins)

[couchgrouch]

The Man Who Dies(With the Most Memories Wins)My father drove an old Fairlaneand it was always fair gamefor jokes when we took it to the storehe'd say not having possessionscan teach a person lessonsabout feeling rich when you're poorhe'd drive us up in the hillswe'd hike forest trails all daypicnic in the daffodilswhere he'd spark his pipe and saythe man who dieswith the most memories winscos strength or gold can't make us wholebut what feeds the soulis the taste of wild windand pinetops wearing the sun like a crownwhistling along with a lovebird's joyful soundwe're a blank canvaswhen our life beginsbut the man who dieswith the most memories winswell, when I was barely eighteenmy heart begged to start makingits way in this mixed up worldI left home and drifted like crazylearned some sense and joined the Navymet a bronze-skinned Hawaiian girlI was standing watch the nightI got the news about my dadwhen I thought of his full lifesomehow it wasn't as sadcos the man who dieswith the most memories winswe're just breath and dustwhat really makes usis what we touchand the places we've beendrinking whiskey stilled from cool raindropsreaching for the moon on mountaintopsit's not who we are at birthit's what we've done sincecos the man who dieswith the most memories winsI've seen Belfast and Cape Hornfaced death in Pacific stormsbut more than those thingsthe greatest scenes that fill my dreamsare when my son was bornwe named him after my dadand hope he has the life he hadcos the man who dieswith the most memories wins(c)2005 Robert George