The Mind is but a Number

It was a cold and rainy morning,

I doubt the two Irishmen even noticed.

My grandpa 84, his friend 92, just trying to outlive the Queen,

They met up for the second time in three days.

On days such as these, tea inside is preferred,

Yet the two chose to golf instead.

Averaging three rounds a week, they grabbed their drivers,

Their age the number to beat.

I first met Bernie when I was in high school;

We played golf back then too,

Seven years later he could recite my parents’ names, even my major without a blink.

Now, at 92, Bernie’s sharper than ever, “sturdy as a rock.”

You’d think after 92 years you’d figure it out,

But no, Bernie was never satisfied.

“I think I’ll try something different,” he proclaimed swinging without his glove.

“After all, it worked for Freddy Couples.”

Later that night, at 92 years old,

Bernie enjoyed a bowl of soup, mussels, a lobster tail, and a 6 oz. steak.

He finished everything.

Oh, and, “I’ll have a Manhattan” to drink.

“Goodbye Bernie, it was great seeing you again.”

“I’ll see ya, Michael. Maybe in Ireland this summer we can play golf together.”

And he truly means it. Thus concluded Spring Break– I fly home today.

I know what I’ll hear when I get there:

“When did you get so tall!?”

“Now tell me, where’s the girl?”

Maybe there is a girl this time, maybe I’m 7 foot 2.

I’ve known my grandma for 21 years,

She can’t recite my parents’ names let alone mine or my major.

Eight short of Bernie, every day is the same.

“When did you get so tall!?”

Dementia, a cruel disease; no, it’s not her fault.

I try to think my name is still in her brain, trying to find its way to her words.

But until then, I’m always prepared to answer her.

“When did you get so tall!?”

To her, our home is a “house of giants.”

“When did you get so tall!?”

“When did you get so tall!?”

“When did you get so tall!?”

Whether 92 or 86, the brain seems not to care.

To be like Bernie, to never forget, is my only wish.

To never stop thinking, to “[trying] something different”,

To proving that the Mind is but a Number.

Grandpa and Bernie (March 28, 2019)