Requiem for EAM

Rest in Peace.

I met you first. The first member of the family of which I would eventually become a part. You were charming and stern. Wearing white. Your chair was more an accessory than a hindrance. Your beard was trimmed as was custom. You had a twinkle in your eye. You knew I didn't quite fit in. Me with my flowered skirts and long untied hair. I brought daisies and dandelions with me to work. You would smile. Accepting me for who I was. What, I wonder, did you think when your son brought me home for dinner? If you had any reservations, you never let on. You would regale us all with tales from the sea. Your eyes always held their sparkle. You would flirt. Shamelessly. I saw the best of your son in you at those moments.

I remember when the boys had a task of digging a trench in the backyard. I don't know whose idea it was to take a break after digging a couple feet and getting the beer. It was probably a mutual decision. Your face when I came upon the scene was priceless. The other guys ran off and left you to protect them; Take the fall more like. You stuttered and stammered and then just shrugged your shoulders. Boys would be boys. It was a club that I would never be allowed to join. You, however, never made me feel excluded.

I'm glad you are now at peace. I'm glad you are free. You left this world in control. When all control was taken from you, you made the ultimate choice to let go. As you lived, you died. A captain.