The Man I Knew

When I was young,
I only knew him as a man
who knows much more,
and I look up to him
and seek guidance and advice.
He is a humble man with few words
who watches as he listens;
who thinks before he speaks.
And with that,
he taught me much but he never knew,
taught me so much I never realized
until the day he left.

Now I only know him as a man
who has been through too much,
and I glance sideways at him
with anxiety and worry.
He is an awkward man with few words
who stands by himself in a lost stance;
who murmurs to himself with faraway eyes.
And with that,
he sweats minutes to hours, hours to days,
days to weeks, weeks to months;
and I don't know how many years it will take
for him to find his way home.

And return as the man I knew.

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