Brian’sPoems

Donny Football

May he rest in peace.

Another Don has died.
The first one, a close friend,
passed away in the summer
more than ten years ago.

This Don was an old friend’s uncle,
a man I’ve known thirty five years.

Don was the quiet sort
with straight black hair,
always neatly parted.

Don suffered his life bravely,
smoked Winston Reds,
drank Miller High Life,
watched a lot of football,
and on occasion would say
the funniest things.

To be sure I knew Don
like a sailor knows an iceberg.
I am sharing with you what I saw,
but I didn’t know the man beneath.

I’m told Don was a great athlete.
He was once married with kids.
He loved his family and friends.
Early on, he went off to Vietnam
where a part of him still remains.

If I gave this poem to Don
he probably wouldn’t read it.
He often bragged
he’d read only one book:
Kon-Tiki.