John Kenneth Douglas, alias “gocky”, alias Uncle John, alias—one of the best men to live, ever.

he was a cowboy

in spirit

at heart

he was a big kid

his laugh

full of woodsmoke

and spice

mountain air

bigger than he was

 

and he was almost seven feet tall

 

only the truly good can know

what it is to touch

 

the infinite

 

to close your eyes

and feel

 

god

 

in the wind

 

to know

 

eternity

 

in the sunshine

 

he knew

 

sharp

wit

like razors

gentle

loving

heart

 

like a pooh bear

 

lessons

he taught me

willing

and

not

 

tomato sauce

from scratch

how to laugh

from the belly

big

and loud

tears

streaming

down our faces

the good

runs right alongside the bad

there is glory with grief

joy and pain

 

the beauty

of the rain drops

 

to dance

 

the night before

he left

me

us

life

he was scared

 

of course

 

but his boots

were on

 

he

was beloved

and by god

did he love

 

courage

 

how to say goodbye

 

lessons

 

“blisters are nature’s band aid, dear

don’t pick

time

will heal”

 

frustrating

as a busted zipper

comfortable

as campfires

and nicknames

and head rubs

 

immovable

as the mountains

that he loved

 

that he

taught me

to love

 

i close my eyes there

and i hear him

on the wind

in the trees

warm in the sunshine

 

his laugh

his joy

 

loving

timeless

infinite

Love elephant and want to go steady?

Sign up for our (curated) daily and weekly newsletters!

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Flickr, courtesy of the author.