My Father's Friend

My father's friend is one of many

in a field of faded marble stones

that get a small American flag

one day each year.

The stone has no mention

of a wife or the house they bought 

and how they worried they could not afford it

but somehow did,

no mention of his children or grandchildren

or the car that he drove

that always smelled 

like cigarettes and aftershave,

no mention of the friends that loved him

and the place where they all went

every night after work for just one or two

but always stayed longer,

just a few chiseled sentences 

describing a short but significant period

from a lifetime of events worth noting.

For many people, my father's friend 

will always be more than just a faded marble stone

that gets a small American flag

one day each year,

and I wonder but never ask

how it makes my father feel

to remember his past while looking at his destiny

as he walks the field of faded marble stones.

inspired by a photograph by Colleen Granero Ramirez

Ken Owen     

Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2014

Van Niddy Press