Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Poems for my father on his 65th birthday

65

The man is a reader of books
His mother worked with needle poised
Weaving words and images that showed
her voice, her face, her looks

The man is a sailor of boats
At home on wood and sailcloth
Ready about, Leo! you shout
Showing us all the ropes

The man is a traveller abroad
Crew shirt, deck shoes and BONG your hat
Across mountains, seas and beaches
as often as time will afford

The man is a father of girls
"Sleep well, God bless, snuggle down, sleep tight"
All care taken over sweet child's dreams,
"Bed bugs don't bite" you say, "good night"

The man holds the rigging he's tied
It takes hard work, but unlike other things
Weathered hands are best for the job
The net upon which we've relied.



Where are you?

I heard the water
in the bay
as it left our shores
and flowed your way

And over head
I saw the sun rise
And set to find
Sausalito skies

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