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.
