My Dear Old Dad and Me

mikeschultz Sun Jan 29 2012, 14:12

I used to walk along this lane, when I was just a kid;
I'd walk up tall, my head held high, just like my father did.
Then, I would stop and rest beside the river clear and cool
And think on things my dad had said, things never learned in school.

My daddy was a wise old man, or so he seemed to me;
He taught me many things of life, of what there is to see.
"Son," he would say, "to be a man, there's much you have to learn;
Yet, no mater what you do you'll find the hands of time still turn.

"When you're not sure just what it is that's right for you to do,
Just think back o'er the years, my son, of things I've said to you.
The world is filled with foolish talk, so please don't take its part,
But listen to the little voice, that speaks within your heart."

The clouds so high, so soft and white, drift slowly 'cross the sky,
Past the graceful, gentle glide of an eagle as she flies.
I've learned that beauty can be found in everything we see,
Like beauty in the love between, My Dear Old Dad and Me.

Michael Schultz (c) 1985

Published in The Art of Poetry: A Treasury of Contemporary Verse. The American Poetry Association; Santa Cruz, CA; 1985.