i do what i can

and i'm sucking on those
root beer barrels
if only because
they remind me
and i'm wearing all those
old flannel shirts
if only because
they remind me
and i'm making all these
corny jokes
if only because
they remind me

and i'll still collect
nutcrackers every winter
and make a big to-do
over the 4th of July
and i'll still read the comics
in the Sunday Times
and watch old Westerns like
they're going out of style

and i will keep
wearing your watch
and resurrecting you
in conversation
if only because
i'm afraid to forget