“There may be snow upon the roof
but there’s a fire in the furnace”
Another of Uncle Dave’s aphorisms
that he would deadpan as if in earnest
His jibes may not have been all his own
but he delivered them with panache
with the skill of a great comic actor
disconcerted and unabashed
He lived until nearly ninety-five
and never lost his wit
with a joke or jest for nearly everything
that he could summon and retrofit
To a young boy, his presence would loom quite large
with that keen ability to amuse
I saw myself many a time
the tense situations he would defuse
I like to think that these day
she’s rocking in his chair
puffing thoughtfully on his cigar
and gladdening souls somewhere