On his seventieth birthday
we went skiing
kids pointed
at his plus fours
and laughed at his old leather boots

I smiled at him then
he smiled back
'you wait and see'
-is what we thought

(I've never seen more grace on a slope)

On his eightieth birthday
we had a family party
young cousins sighed
and rolled their eyes
when he told his stories

I smiled at him then
he smiled back
'one day they'll understand'
-is what we thought

(His life is the best story I've ever heard)

On his eighty-fifth birthday
we visited him in hospital
the doctors said very little
about the cancer
that lived in his body

I smiled at him then
he smiled back
'not yet'
-is what we thought

(I can still picture him tap-dancing in his hospital gown)

He is still here you know
smiling at me
when he sees me doubting
'keep going, you're doing well'
-is what he's thinking.