The Man of Many Hats

For Marvin, a man who freely gave his joy to many, at the entrance to the Los Coches Wal Mart in El Cajon, CA

Out to the East by Los Coches,

There is a store along the way,

Where stood a man by the door,

Who had a hat for every day.

He was an older man named Marvin,

Who had seen his life with style,

So in his thanks for the gift of time,

He sought to give us each a smile.

He was hard to catch to give a word, 

There was always someone there,

If that person had eight or eighty years,

He would always show he cared.

For folks who move to quick to notice,

He had ways to catch their eyes,

With costumes and hats of colors,

He knew when and how to be sly.

They looked up from their phones to his eyes,

And he greeted them with a smile,

Yet the gift he gave was not for naught,

It would last more than quite a while.

I enjoyed his words when we would speak,

I am sure that he enjoyed mine,

He became a part of each of us,

And he used his gift of time.

I wish I could have seen him once again,

To say thanks for all he gives,

But I know he can hear this as I write,

For in our hearts he lives.