I remember Diedric well
I remember that cheery old face as he came in each day
To the homeless shelter
I remember his stories
Long tales full of adventure that always had us
Coming back for more
I remember the weekend comedy hour
When his hilarious jokes and bright eyes
Made us all laugh
I remember the talent shows
Where his soulful songs of sorrow and loss
Made us all cry

I remember the days he helped
Giving food and drink to those in his same predicament
And teaching them to smile
I remember him once saying
That God gave every person his or her position in the Universe
And you have to use it
I remember him collecting money
And in the morning we always got a nice little surprise
Of half of it
I remember the days he wasn't there
Because, though we didn't necessarily have more work
They seemed longer

I remember a cold April night
When Diedric came in out of the storm with a child
Who was bleeding
I remember raising her back to health
And how she'd always follow Diedric around
Like a daughter
I remember the day
When her parents were found and she was given back
To their joy
And I remember
Seeing a small tear in Diedric's eyes
As he kissed her goodbye

And I also remember
That he never really talked about his life
Just about everything else
I remember I asked him once
What had happened to him before
Why he was this way
He looked me straight in the eye
He said that the past was gone and never would bother him again
So it didn't matter
I remember that he once joked
That he had died and come back to life once
But he said it sadly

And I remember the day
When I learned of the car accident that had taken
Diedric's life
I remember the funeral
Everyone came to mourn his memory
And to say goodbye
And now all I have
Is memories of the kind, gentle man that Diedric was
And wanted us to be
So now we all are Diedric
We all help those less fortunate than us with a smile on our face
In the Diedric Memorial Homeless Shelter