The Greatest Man

He was born the year the world was sad
A foreshadowing of the things to come
Though his father stumbled into a good job
He had to watch the rest of his family 
Work in sweatshops, because their name 
Happened to end in a vowel

When he sprouted into manhood
He found himself rejected 
For that same tired reason,
From the blinding white dust
Of a burning magnesium blocks
To the coal black smoke
Of burning New York buildings
He took what jobs he could
Until settling on the fire department,
Without a thought, he ran in
Time and time again
Just because it was his job
He never asked for medals
Nor newspaper articles
Or fanfare of any kind 
He simply said, “Its my job.”

Though he had time to work two jobs
He chose my brother and I over money
While he watched those around him
Getting more money and better things
He was happy to see first steps, and first words,
For that I am eternally grateful!

When first he began to wilt
As his sun passed the noon hour
At a time when he could relax
He chose to continue to work
And insisted on paying for our education
Content on making our lives
Better than his own

He was the bravest man I have ever met
After a lifetime of seeing violence
And filth, and crime, and destitution,
Cropping up in the same places
After seeing people you respected
Calling out death to all those
Whose skin was not kissed by the sun
He became – admittedly - a prejudiced man,
Yet he had the courage to raise me 
Not to be!
I must respect him for that!

And finally, as the petals began to fall
And we watched him slip forgetfully
Into the catacombs of dementia
He hid his pain behind a laugh at himself
Careful not to let anyone around him
Track the tears of the clown
Out of concern for their feelings

He was not the most perfect man
But to me, my father was
The greatest one.

This Poem is in honor of my father - Lieutenant Rocco Vetro FDNY Retired - Who passed away this evening after a long battle with dementia, heart disease, and cancer.  Please feel free to share this.  He was not perfect, but he did his best for us and I am eternally grateful.

Mental Journey

I am on a journey of the mind. Contemplating the universe on every scale, and doing a complete introspective exploration. I may never be a literary academic, but I share my humble thoughts in hope that they may inspire others.

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