Come As Bones If You've Nothing Else - Brand New Book Original

The Matchbook | 9.26.25

My grandfather, that handsome devil up above, was a railroad man. He was a Navy man, too, fought in the war, but above all things, he was a storyteller.

I remember as a kid, the stories he’d tell, the tales he’d weave, the details he would add, some to soothe, some to keep up way beyond bedtime. I remember his old watch, the ticking it would make, and how he’d stick his wrist beneath the pillow I’d lay my head upon so it could metronome me to sleep.

A.K. Gregson was many things, and I miss them all. The K in his name, is the K in mine, he was Arthur Knott Gregson, I am Tyler Knott Gregson, and I am so proud to carry his name.

This poem, this little poem below that is in my new collection, The Never Was, is about as personal as you can get in a poem, and it means so much to me. It’s a love letter, it’s a plea, it’s a desperate wish he could come back, even as bones, and tell me new stories.

Enjoy the poem, it’s a fun little deep dive into a poem in the new book, and the explanation of it after the jump. A little Thank You to the paid subscriber community, for making this Signal Fire possible.

If you want access to the behind-the-poems stories, the audio versions of me spoken-word recording them, and more, join us. Please.