GRANDFATHER'S CHOICE

There is a time past age of fifty

That’s not awaited throughout life

That aging men find unsuspecting

When shifts occur in who and what is right

For years we spend our time deciding

On actions, starts, considerations weighed

Established as the one decider

On what should be or paths to take

So common is to lead not follow

Assumed the stead of other’s choice

Assigned the family’s noted chooser

Creating weight in a father’s voice

But decades pass neglected watching

Young kids find stride and act dread not

They start assuming other's needings

And siphoning off one father’s lot

As sudden as a decade passes

Like single years rushed by time spent

From father's name grandfather passes

To other ways not father’s meant

And now new fathers, mothers start

Their time to guide, their time to choose

To shape their children’s future lot

And start the same clock’s ticking mark

Like blooming flowers a first rejoicing

They seek some other than his choice

The aging man sees what bequeath him

When small grandchildren seek just his voice

Auspicious to have such a chance

Live long enough to hold their hands

And let their parents make their choices

As playgrounds call and children dance