Highway to Heaven

In the calm of February's chill,

A shadow falls, the air stands still.

A heavy heart, a whispered prayer,

For what I lost, a love so rare.

February 19th, the day I dread,

Memories linger, time weaves the thread.

Every birthday, the call comes near,

Echoes of grief, wrapped in love and fear.

She picks up the phone, her voice so meek,

"It's time to come home, it’s Grandpa this week."

A weight on my chest, disbelief in my eyes,

This cruel twist of fate, beneath winter skies.

Oh, Grandpa, on your highway of stars,

Driving through heaven with no more scars.

Delivering love and laughter from afar,

On the open road, where you healed your scars.

Into Emporia, where silence reigns,

Saw the blue lights and felt the pains.

Peanut awaits, his loyal friend,

In this tragic tale, a love that won’t end.

Under that blanket, you were rolling away,

Into the embrace of a brighter day.

I felt your spirit lift me so high,

A trucker at heart, now you roam the sky.

Oh, Grandpa, on your highway of stars,

Driving through heaven with no more scars.

Delivering love and laughter from afar,

On the open road, where you healed your scars.

I picture you laughing, a smile held wide,

With the engines of angels, your spirit’s ride.

Forever you’ll guide me, through night and through day,

In the truck of my memories, you never fade away.

Though the calendar whispers of loss and of pain,

Your love is a beacon that forever remains.

February 19th, a bittersweet bend,

In the story of life, a chapter without end.