My Grandfather

my grandfather drowned while fishing... i was only fourteen, i took the call. in the whirl of funeral arrangements, preachers, headstones, and old hymns... too much was forgotten. he gave me my first pocket knife, showed me how to sharpen it.... when i grew up i sharpened knives for all the women in the neighborhood. i can still remember him taking me to the depot to watch the train pass by.... when i see a train now i sometimes wonder... if he's on it, and coming for me..... a way of life gone... maybe better in some ways.... my grandfather died while fishing.... the fish won the battle that night!