I came to know him through legend
Through the chatter of my kin
In their holiday cheer
Told round after round

Grandfather
How he radiates so strong
From beyond, what these eyes may conceive

Through his wartime ballads
I know dedication
Through the years of his labor
I know diligence

So seldom I speak
And uphold the silence
His creed of few words
Till the opportune falls

And I know him in part
From the Polaroids of old
As kin reminisce, ever-fondly
Each year