A poem - The Name

I cannot see what they see,
They talk about him, smile a little, cry a little,
laugh at how 'he would have loved that'
and talk lovingly of the things he did.

The name is meaningless to me,
Yet to utter it brings forth such emotions in people
Some smile at past memories,
Others cry at the thought that the memories are all that's left,
Along with the hole in their heart,
An empty place at someone's table,
A bed not slept in,
And a long line of people saying how sorry they are.
It is strange to know
that behind the name was someone,
a person,
loved and admired by many.

It is strange to think that,
What for me is a meaningless arrangement of letters,
Names the man who was a husband, father, brother, son, friend.

And my heart falls at the knowledge
that this name must forever remain
forever meaningless to me,
for the one who could have put life into it
is now gone.