That Mean Old Man

You always were a mean old man
And you always talked too slow
I remember when I was small
Your house was the last place I wanted to go
You talked too loud it seemed
Morning, noon, night
And your voice was always rocky
Like the words never came out right
Stern and brooding
You would sit there reading the news
I wondered then about you
From your suspenders down to the dusty shoes
I suppose it was about 13
I realized there was more to the world than I could see
And I finally opened my eyes
To the man you used to be
I imagine it must have been hard
To be a black man back then
Being called a "boy"
Standing more than five foot ten
That utter and complete disrespect
Was common down here in the South
So it makes sense to me now
You wouldn't put up with that in your own house
So I opened up my heart
Because you wanted me to have the best
You recognized a world of fools
And didn't want me to fall in with the rest
You weren't mean, you demanded respect  You thought it was important for me to know
And your words were deliberate, powerful
Maybe that's why when I was small they seemed slow
You commanded attention
You were so strong, you were proud
It canceled out all of the noise
Maybe that's why it seemed so loud
Your raspy voice
From years of liquid relaxation
Working day in day out
Without a single vacation
The stern face reading the news
Seeing a world that's growing
That doesn't remember where it's been
And you didn't know where it was going
The dusty shoes on your feet
From putting in a hard days work
Way more than 40 hours a week
No cushy office, no perks
Grandpa you were everything
I never realized a man should be
And silently, subtly taught
The boldness now embodied in me
I speak slowly, deeply
I lift my head with silent pride
I use my words with all my might
Just like you taught me as my guide
When I do find my future husband
My love, honest and true
I will respect and admire his power and pride
Just as much as I did them in you