For my dying grandpa

The grandpa I knew growing up was

Short but sturdy.
Bald and smiley
Extraverted and boisterous.
A traveling salesman for everything from cosmetics to leather shoes.

He lived a happy life, certainly.

A life with a wife he loved. Someone who
he always said he owed his life to.
A dozen grandchildren who begged for
ice cream and attention.
Daughters who worried for him
and sons who listened to his funny
but endless and repetitive stories.