Tribute to the Quiet Man Ask him what time it is And he will tell you exactly, To the minute, what time it is Ask him direct questions He will answer directly But don't wait for him To comment on trivial things It won't happen And don't ask him at all If you don't want to know The truth Born a long time ago, Somewhere in Colorado He worked on a ranch Raised hay and cattle He rode horses, broke them Always had relations Hanging on his coattails Eating his groceries But he never complained And he did not marry The girl of his dreams Later on, he worked in a factory When the ranch went bust Drank a lot of beer on payday Drunk or sober, a quiet man One night, met another drunk This other man had a wife She was a nice woman And he shared some time with them, At the tavern, beer and pool, It was a window to another life Later, the man and wife Went their separate ways She was somehow in his mind And one day she was his At 54, he was a new husband And this was a whole new game Her grown children, welcoming And quietly welcomed Became his kids by love Grandchildren accompanied A family, a wife, a home Inherited, inevitable The woman and the quiet man Settled into a routine of life And then one day the wife Died, leaving him all alone And once more, quiet This time old and lonely The children came by As often as they could To check on him, to see If he was eating properly To make sure he was OK But he was not, really Though this quiet man Predictably, did not Waste his words, Complaining Poetry