Uncle George
my Uncle George was the greatest
all his tricks and jokes and games
and he always had time for his nieces and nephews
exuding love and kindness every moment
he always seemed so happy
and I was always excited to visit him
he lived alone on a small acreage at the edge of town
in a neat little white house on a hill
with a white wooden swing by the garden
that all of us kids liked to play on
and every evening after supper
George made himself a pan of popcorn on the stove
his favorite snack
but one particular evening
he turned the burner off
left the pan of fresh popcorn on top
walked out to the swing
sat down
and took his own life
it tore me up trying to understand
I could feel my parent’s pain too
and the heartbreak of all who knew him
if there are answers
sometimes we don’t find them
sometimes we don’t need them
sometimes what we know is enough
I’ll always remember sweet Uncle George
—DL Madsen