Thursday, April 18, 2013

Orlando


Orlando
By David C. Price

When my grandfather was only ten
He accidentally shot and killed his sister
And wounded his older brother.
At 14 his sawmill boss called him a “damn fool”

When my grandfather was a thirteen
Sheriff Daly said Ada County Idaho
Should create a reform school for troubled boys –
And Orlando should be the first incarcerated.

When my grandfather was twenty-eight
He was hospitalized for a mental breakdown
After embezzling from the community.
His house was sold to restore the funds.

When my grandfather was thirty
His eleven year old daughter was killed by a train.
His wife was severely injured and in shock.
He ended up divorced and alone.

When my grandfather was nearly forty
He married his brother’s widow
To raise his brother’s children.
And had two children of his own.

When my grandfather died
The YMCA Camp and Tri-Hi-Y Girls
Built a memorial cabin to honor him
For the exemplary man he had become.

When we think our children are incorrigible,
When we suffer death and divorce,
When we sacrifice our life for others,
We still don’t quit – we never quit trying.

That’s what my grandfather teaches me.

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