The Man I Never Knew

When my cousin died last month unexpectedly, I had to admit that he was a different--and Vastly Better!-- person than whom I had known as a child. This commemorates that "Eureka!" moment...

THE MAN I NEVER KNEW

 

The Man I Never Knew is here

Surrounded by his friends.

A thousand times, in a hundred ways,

He’d sought his life to end!

 

 

A Prodigal he was, in fact;

Fled from Love and Lovers, too!

My cousin Skipper, lying here:

The Man I Never Knew!

 

 

For in his later years, he’d met

Another Man, and in His debt

And to His Name consigned his life,

And brought an end to all his strife!

 

 

Now in the nave sit weeping there

A Wife, a Daughter, two Grandsons fair,

Cousins, nieces, conjoined in Pain…

But Skipper’s feeling naught but gain!

 

 

At last, no fleshly burdens bear--

To his Father he may freely go,

To join his Mom and Daddy there:

A man we were all proud to know!

 

MARK TEAGUE

March 15, 2009

 

Reviews

[cest la vie]

Now this is an awesome tribute. You wrote so fondly and with compassion. I wonder why people just don't say what they have to say to the living. You made me think of some family I need to touch base with. I do not want to be at their funeral saying, "I wish I had". Thank you for sharing this personal and well written poem.
Lynne

[Tate Morgan]

I get a bit of ambivilence in this reading .As if you wonder who he was and wish you had known him better.

[Mark]

That's largely what I am saying. We were pretty close as kids, then as adolescents he went a different and a darker route, that let him into more marriages and home states than anyone really has a right to...then he found God, but by that time, I lived no- where near him, and really knew him hardly at all in the latter, better portion of his life.

[Samuel Dickens]

A fine tribute to your cousin. Everyone (well, almost everyone) deserves to be well-remembered at the end. Another fine piece of writing, Mark.

[Markymark]

Wonerful write mark. Bittersweet because of the loss, but shrouded in the hope and knowledge that he found a heavenly father with outstretched arms. These type of pieces are touching and candid.....and speak loudly of our humanity. Thanks for sharing it!!!

[emmajoy]

Maybe when people die, their families, their mourners set aside the past and only think of the future without them. It's a while after the funeral when you think back at what was said during the day to discover that no one person is ever truly known, not even by the ones who loved him or her.

This is a sensitive and affectionate piece of writing, I hope Skipper looked over your shoulder when you were putting it together.

[An owl on the moon]

This really is such a beautiful, profound expression of someone's life and legacy. You voice an uplifting tribute to a life that was transformed. Thank you for sharing this very personal story...

[R J Askew]

Ach, bitter sweet. The story of the lost cousin entertains and instructs. We can see the family gathered there and we can see the coffin. We discover Skip may have led an intersting life and been a bit of a lad, but there seems to be some redeeming quality about him. Isn't there someone like this in every family? He seems very human in his weaknesses. Yet we can't feel bad about him in the final analysis. The poem also made me think for the first time about the mortality of my own cousins none of whom have died, as yet.

[Ellen Hammond]

I am sure I typed a review to this a few months ago.....perhaps another one I forgot to hit the submit button for. This is an amazing tribute to your cousin and a great testimony too. Well penned as always. Love it!