Dr. S,
My mysterious biological grandfather
visited every other year.
I did not know him well.
I met him after I turned  five.

I had not grown up with him;
He was estranged from my grandmother
following their divorce.
He was Japanese.

But he spoke German fluently
and English, nearly fluently.
He loved his pipe, his cigarillos
and his whiskey.

Doctor Shinohara
was generous when he visited.
He urged me
in the toy section
of department stores:

Anything you want.
Take more, please. 
You can choose more…

I always felt guilty
and greedy
at the same time.

He loved the American term
Greenhorn.
He always practiced
using it.

Doctor Shinohara
was a mystery
to me.

write your own poem that recounts a memory of a beloved relative,
and something they did that echoes through your thoughts today.