Visiting with extended family this week, and especially seeing my dad’s younger sister Dot, reminded me of how much I miss my dad. He died Oct. 25, 1993; he was far too young when he died, if you ask me. I always miss him, but talking about him, hearing stories of when he was young, and looking at old family photos with him in them has kind of been hard and made me miss him even more. So I decided to write a poem about him.
My Dad Was Tall
My dad was tall
and handsome, too
He had a lot of sisters
but only one younger brother
He was even taller
My dad always smiled
a big, friendly smile
with sparkling eyes
But sometimes he was serious
when he needed to be
My dad was in the Merchant Marines
serving his country in the war
He loved the sea
and he loved to travel
to see exotic places
My dad took my mom
to Niagra Falls for their honeymoon
He was quite a catch, she thought
He was blessed to have her
and missed her when she was gone
My dad was an auto mechanic
He owned his own shop
and was excellent at his trade
He learned it from his dad
He was tall, too
My dad was a talker
He would walk around a campground
and talk to all the campers
complete strangers
but he was friendly just the same
My dad loved fishing
whether for bullhead in Lake Marina
when I was just a kid
sturgeon trolling in Oregon
or fly fishing at Yellowstone
My dad loved his children
all five of us, a son and four daughters
Some of us gave him a little trouble
but we all loved him, too
We all love him still
9/10/11 Update – I linked this to dVerse Poets Pub as an example of a poem dealing with loss in response to the Saturday prompt Poetics – In Memoriam.