When the old man tells you his stories,
you can see that they’re living again
right there before his eyes.
His shaky hands show you how
he grasped the handle of the wrench,
how he pressured that stuck bolt
as he tells you which wrench,
and what kind of bolt, and you can
almost smell the grease when he grins
his toothless smile, looking up at you
so proudly, as he says, “I got ‘er out!”