You said, as a baby,
when I cried and was
too sick to sleep
you walked me through
the long dark night,
cradled in your arms,
our shadows stretched
unbroken, from one street lamp
to the next, until I was calm,
One of my first
memories--being perched
high atop your shoulders
at the State Fair,
I felt like a giant,
head above the crowd,
cotton candy fingers
grasping your forehead,
and sticking to your hair,
you didn't seem to care
As I got a little older we
walked every night after dinner,
I struggled to keep up,
we passed by the barbeque shack
and would always say
how good it smelled
even though our
stomachs were full,
we joked and we laughed,
you were one of my
best friends in the world
Walking with my father
On the weekends we
filled our canteens with water
and our bags with snacks,
trail mix and Slim Jims,
and set out on foot,
for hours at a time,
exploring the urban landscape,
the time was spent in laughter
or quietly, in reflective silence,
those peaceful hours made me strong
in more ways than I ever knew
Walking with my father
After I moved far away and
would come back home
the visit was never complete
without a walk with you,
I noticed you began to lag
behind so I slowed my pace,
it was such a relief to see the face
that meant so much to me,
it seemed like
no years had passed,
the time that was lost,
we could always recapture,
in those steps forward,
even though the past laid
crumbling all around us,
Walking with my father
Now you are older,
with so many miles
on your feet you struggle
to walk with a cane,
in the grip of pain
born of a life lived
with no compromises,
Time is extraordinarily cruel
to the pure of heart, but
we still joke, we still laugh,
I still see so much life
glistening in your eyes
as we both walk towards
our long dark night,
not yet ready for goodbyes...
How I wish I could walk with my father.
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*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and Steemit enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my poetry, my handmade poetry chapbook, Emancipation, is for sale on Peerhub for a limited time.
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Thank you!
Like an arrow to the heart
A river flows upwards,
From ocular dwellings,
The worth of times Eternal
Never to be lost to the winds of change.
Father & son love, a theme that keeps on feeding when well loved & appreciated. Thanks for the beauty, once more. All for one and one for all! Namaste :)
Beautiful stanza, @eric-boucher! Thanks for reading and for your continued support and light! Namaste!
I love your grasp of the importance of the blessings you have in your life. It's refreshing and encouraging.
As someone who lost his father far too young, it really irks me when I see young men neglecting to recognize these blessings. He'd be in his mid 70s now, and maybe not able to walk great. But I'd give a lot to see his smile and hear his deep voice again.
It also reminds me that I don't get to see my own sons enough. A walk would be nice.
Thanks Eric.
You're welcome, @anotherjoe. Thanks you for your comment! I've lived almost 1,000 miles away from my parents for the past 23 years. It's getting tougher every year as they age to be away. My dad is 77 now and up until just a few years ago he was climbing trees to trim them and getting up on roofs to do handyman work. A few years ago fell from a height of about 20ft onto concrete and broke his pelvis, since then walking has been very difficult. Each time I go back home to visit I try to make it true quality time with them but the visits are really just too few and far between. Thankfully there's FaceTime and the phone. I appreciate your comment!
this is really beautiful @ericvancewalton and what a rich connection to have with your father, very fortunate!
Thanks @natureofbeing! 😊
Brilliant work my friend. Makes me think of my father, who has been gone over 10 years now.
Thank you, Scott! I appreciate your kind words. Sorry about your dad, man. He must've been young!
Wow.
Thank you for sharing your life...
You're welcome @bontonstory!
So heartwarming 😢
Thank you @qqc!
Lovely and very evocative... Thank You!
Having read your poem, I think you might appreciate a bit of prose I wrote some time ago on much the same theme:
Riding On Dad's Shoulders
Thanks @creatr! What a fabulous story! I don't see parents letting their kids ride on their shoulders as much these days. It was a pretty common sight when I was growing up in the 70's. I remember once my wife and I were walking our beagle around a lake and got caught in a ferocious downpour. It was about a mile to the other side and we only had one big umbrella so I hoisted Amstel up across my shoulders and walked him to the car that way. It brought back lots of memories. : )
Hi, Eric,
Thanks for reading, and for sharing your additional story about Amstel.
My recollection of riding on Dad's shoulders dates from the '50s... And I still love watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from time to time. Those giant balloons are awesome!
On one of my trips into the city with Dad, I remember him also taking me into a toy store and buying me a spinning/flying helicopter type device. Great memories! Thank you for starting the ball rolling. ;)
You're welcome @creatr. What an interesting time to have grown up and great memories! I've always been fascinated by the Macy's Parade and always wanted to see it in person. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Beautiful...
Thank you, @macksby!
I have no words... Beautiful!
I'm glad you enjoyed it @liondani! Thank you!
I enjoyed it and it increased my respect to you.
Truly beautiful and heart warming.
Thank you!