Stiles Thomas a man I hardly knew
Died in his 100th year this week
The same age as our Rosie three years ago
Much loved by many people
Someone dearly missed
Brings us together in sadness
Gathering everyone's stories
Speaking of them with words of praise
As Rosie explained the afterlife
Our memories of them will live on
As long as anyone cares to remember
Someone in the past tense
That gives me a good feeling
As I assemble a web page for Stiles
Primarily for his family to have
And all of us to know him better
As I think of all the people I miss
Who have their undocumented stories
I recall their faces and voices
My way of keeping them with me
This is the human condition
To end up as a collection of stories
Held onto by the people we lived among
Told to us from their perspective
