Distinguished Gentleman

Somewhat amazed self-portrait

Gentleman in the literal sense.
Gentle man who turns over giant bugs
in limbo,  tiny lightning-bolt legs
in furious air dance now scuttles to safety.
Doors open for ladies, even men if 
burdened with packages or the weight of Life.
Seeks out new coworkers to make them feel at ease,
drawing on reporting skills he's had since Nixon,
in order to draw them out. He'll play jokes on them one day, 
wicked funny but never mean, the jokes of
a beloved uncle or older brother 
everyone wants to hang out with.
Especially kind to grandmothers
and small children, the drawl pegs him as
Southern gentleman, perhaps the last
of his kind. Don't confuse graciousness with soft.
There's iron there, too, the strength to fire hacks,
be fired over principles, set fires along the way. 
He's picked up and moved more than he'd've liked, looked 
Death in the eye, arched his eyebrow, 
and calmly told him "Not ____ yet" 
(expletive deleted). 
And Death threw back his head
and howled. The distinguished gentleman from
South Carolina often has that effect.


(c) Ellen Gillette, 2012


Long-time friend, editor, mentor...the list could go on awhile...Lee Barnes has a birthday coming up. Being a newspaper man, the last decade has been challenging, career-wise. And it's been a little over a year since he had brain surgery. Despite everything, he's the most consistently positive person I know. This is my birthday card for him.