For Daniel Callahan, 1950 - 2011
He'll always be
arms encircling
a home--protecting (like hale
Ipswich griffins) truest treasure:
his sweetheart, then babies soon teens
now men and women, wee grandchildren.
He'll always be
a heart enfolding
kith and kin--verities in a winsome
smile through a cascade of days, a kingfisher fanfare:
brimming with laughter, the kindest
chatter, the honest grasp.
He'll always be
eyes enabling
a glance to that gentle goodness
in a harbor town--windswept past
salt marshes and middens,
beyond cracked sidewalks:
the comfort of table talk, meals, music.
He'll always be
a man loving
life, nimbly shouldering kindnesses
through even the drabbest days.
