This is...

This is a thoughtful man
growing comfortably into his 60's
with aging hair and a loving brother
a beautiful wife, happily married
for almost 50 years.

This is my uncle Leo
a great uncle, proud of his family
and his abundance of grand and great grandchildren
his nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.

This is a man who was roommates with Bob Barker
A proud veteran of WW2 and
a man who built his own house with his
own two hands

This is before, only years before
his beautiful wife suffered from the cancer
and drove him the a deep sadness.
This is before he rekindled his love with
 his high school sweet heart.

This is before he went back to California to find himself
at a wild age of 80
Before he remarried only years later
claiming he had "found love again"
with a black widow.

And sure enough, this is before
last summer where that huge family
wept and wept for this thoughtful man.
Where i cried for hours, and tried
consoling my aging grandpa, his brother.

This is before all the tears and
photos were dug out from their crypt.
Before I found this photo and remembered
my Uncle Leo, who gave the best hugs
and smelt a little musky and aged.
before I wrote this, remembering him.