Idlemind - nickcoster.com

To Grandpa
(Presented on behalf of Hannah by her father Max Coster, as part of the tribute to Charlie Coster on the occasion of his funeral service 4th June 2001)

I wish I could grieve with those who are grieving.
I wish I know this man you all loved.
I can’t remember the funny things that he said.
I don’t even know his middle name.
I wish I could tell people what he was like.
But I didn’t know him well enough to do so.
I wish I could recall on many memorable moments,
But I was too young to remember.

What I can tell you though is:
This is a man who let me play with his shell collection every time I visited.
This was a man who liked to work with his hands,
gardening and making things in the shed.
This was a man who we’d giggle about every time he overcooked the veggies.
The was a man who had tears in his eyes when his family was together for the last time on his 98th birthday.
This is a man who I am looking forward to getting to know in Heaven
So until then, every time I see a giant shell, I’ll think of my grandma’s husband.
Every time I see our woven door mat I’ll think of my dad’s father.
And every time I see a child in the arms of their Pa,
I’ll think of my Grandfather who, one day, I’ll know that little bit better.

Hannah Coster

1. Max Coster says:

   May 5, 2008 at 4:31 pm

   I was looking to see if a submission I had made to a public inquiry had been acknowledged but found this poem by Hannah instead. Thanks Nick for keeping a record to a great fellow – my dad certainly inspired me (often when I was searching for a way forward over some problem). His memory continues to inspire me, even though I am now officially old.

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