I have won.

When I was eight,
I received a participation medal in the school spelling bee.
The joy on my face was fantastic.
Even if I finished twelfth,
I astounded the grandparents

Two years later,
my grandparents died.
Their last wish was that I would go to a college.

I was put into a cruel place,
where children go.
That was a defeat,
But I still celebrated every victory.

On my 18th birthday,
I rejoiced with the other orphans.
I was free.

I traveled the world
As a young soul.
Looking for adventure.
I never went to college.

When the adventure was over,
I settled down.
I found a beautiful wife.
Francis and Sophia were born.
They were a handful,
But I still loved them.

Five years later,
the one I loved most
was taken from me.
The kids,
too young to understand,
missed their mum.

Fulfilling my grandparents wish,
I went to college.
I learned things about the world
That I never would have known otherwise.

At the age of 64,
I became a grandparent.
If only Anna could have seen this.

Over the years the number grandchildren increased,
to a point,
where I often mixed-up the names.
They visited frequently.
At the age of 74,
I became retired.

I became bored.
With the grandchildren visiting less and less, I had to pick up hobbies.
I became a part-time bartender
at a bar every Thursday.

My life didn’t end there.
I was determined to reach 100.
Although I got old,
I still was active.
I took walks every day.
At the age of 85,
I won a senior’s spelling bee.

At age 95, I came home to learn
that my son had died in an automobile crash.
I was devastated.
But I still held on.

Now here I lay,
at age 102,
with my family next to me,
knowing that I lost many battles,
but I won, at life.