Like My Grand Dad Used to Say

He was a rascal,
All right,
Full of piss
And vinegar,
But boy could he
Tell a story,
And behind
Every story
Was invariably
A lesson.
He didn’t have
Much of
A formal education,
But he had
A Masters Degree
From the school of life,
And he had a way
Of capturing
The essence of wisdom
With his words
That taught me
Most everything
I needed to know
About life.
Though he passed away
Quite a few years ago
I still hear his words,
Only now
They are coming
Out of my mouth instead.