John's Gift

How do I remember 

The man than brings these tears

The man we both once worked for

For so many wondrous years


Let me soak in the memories 

That still linger in my mind

For my boss of over five years

And the gifts I gave him in that time


I was into building model cars

So I made one especially for John

After his Silver Trans Am

It was a gift that couldn’t go wrong 


He had the model in his office on display

He was as proud as he could be

But one day he brought it to me in pieces

His face betraying all his grief 


The cleaning lady had knocked it over 

“Can you fix it?” he wanted to know

Like a child going to his daddy

How could I say no


I fixed that car, and over the years

I gave him other gifts that made him smile

A poem I can’t find in my archives 

And a lot of peanuts come to mind


But I must tell you of the greater gift

And it’s what John gave to me

Something much more precious 

From my time with his company 


I know that had he not hired you

And had he not hired me

We never would have connected 

We would not be this family 


So who gave the better gift

He did -  that is so true

I gave him peanuts, a poem and a plastic car

But he gave me you



© Ruby Neumann




Poet's Note: (Written March 8, 2021) I wrote this poem in the aftermath of the passing of my former employer.  It was at a company in Calgary where I worked for five and half years, that I met my husband.  This poem is for my husband in honour of his long time friend, mentor and colleague… John.