LEADERS - not followers

Saturday, June 12, 2010

THE GREATEST GIFT

For Writers Island Prompt #7 2010
And Monday Poetry Train Revisited


DAD

Thinking a lot
recently

about my Dad

He would have been
ninety years old
on the first of June
Twenty Ten

He didn’t do
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Metaphorical Milestones

‘Unnecessary fuss’

I think that’s because
they served as reminders
of things he’d rather
have chosen to forget

Terrible things

Unspeakable things

He’d survived the War
Nazi and Communist
Occupation
Atrocities

leading to allied conscription

One of just a few
who came down the hill

Monte Cassino

Bloody Battlefield
to Bloody Battlefield

to Palestine

before England
where he spent
the next sixty years
struggling long and hard

to survive the peace

At home
Dad was one of those guys
you only needed to ask once

He didn’t forget or ignore

Ask him three months in advance
He’d remember

Every detail

He just had a gift for it

I once made the mistake
of reminding him
two weeks after first asking

You know what he said?

‘I heard you the first time’

I’m kinda like him
I don’t forget

If I can help it

I’ll never forget Dad

I can’t help it
Posted by at

35 comments:

  1. vivienne blakeJune 12, 2010 at 12:46 PM

    I love ths, Stan: a truly unforgettable man.

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  2. Stan SkiJune 12, 2010 at 2:24 PM

    Thanks ViV; The only real 'gentleman' I ever knew.

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  3. AnonymousJune 12, 2010 at 5:08 PM

    Stan, this is a wonderful poem. I love the line, 'I heard you the first time'. You have done him proud.

    http://thelaughinghousewife.wordpress.com

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  4. NessaJune 12, 2010 at 6:41 PM

    A very touching tribute. Dad's have so much influence.

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  5. UnknownJune 12, 2010 at 7:40 PM

    What an awesome tribute, Stan...
    I love the blog makeover too.
    mine is up

    hugs
    shakira

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  6. flaubertJune 12, 2010 at 9:33 PM

    Stan this is wonderful tribute to your dad!
    He must of been a great man.
    Pamela

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  7. Linda GoinJune 12, 2010 at 10:01 PM

    Wow, Stan. What a tribute to your father. A real gift. "to survive the peace" is hard, and I'm glad you noted that. The end was full circle. Thank you, and thanks to your dad, too.

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  8. barbaraJune 12, 2010 at 10:01 PM

    Hi, Stan. Like the new look!
    Your dad sounds like a winner. A warm, loving poem.

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  9. Dina SpiceJune 13, 2010 at 12:18 AM

    What a wonderful gift to your father...now on "paper", even those who didn't know him, will forever be able to get the jist of the man he was.

    - Dina
    P.S. Love the elephant background on your page. Aside from my actually love of elephants, the texture of his skin is a very interesting backdrop to your words.

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  10. Julie Jordan ScottJune 13, 2010 at 1:34 AM

    beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

    Read my Gift poem here.

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  11. Stan SkiJune 13, 2010 at 6:39 AM

    Thanks to:
    TLH; He always got it right.
    Nessa; A lasting legacy.
    Shakira; So many memories...
    Pamela; Quiet and unassuming - the sort of guy people respect.
    Linda; The ghosts of war never really allowed him any peace.
    Barbara; We could always rely on him.
    Dina; The memories don't fade.
    Julie; Perhaps now he's found peace.

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  12. Gemma WisemanJune 13, 2010 at 9:27 AM

    This is soooo good! I have read it twice and probably will again after I finish this comment! You have a very special understanding of your dad, but I feel that some has only tuned in with time. Perhaps that is the yearning note I hear in your poetic voice. A wonderful tribute!

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  13. Stan SkiJune 13, 2010 at 9:57 AM

    Thanks GT; There is so much that I will probably never know.

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  14. anthonynorthJune 13, 2010 at 3:46 PM

    Lovely and touching. A great tribute.

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  15. Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis HallJune 13, 2010 at 4:13 PM

    a father's love embraces everything and contains highest wit, humor, and fun!

    lovely poem.

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  16. Stan SkiJune 13, 2010 at 4:24 PM

    Thanks to:
    Anthony; A great Dad.
    Jingle; All of that and more.

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  17. Diane TJune 13, 2010 at 6:55 PM

    I feel I have gotten to know both your dad and you through this poem. This poem will be a family treasure.I am sure the giver would be very pleased that you still have this gift!



    http://troublebeingstrong.blogspot.com/2010/06/let-me-speak.html

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  18. ElizabethJune 13, 2010 at 11:24 PM

    Stan,
    my Mother passed away April 30th. She was 91 and well cherished. I wrote a Eulogy poem, so I know how difficult this might have been. Our ability to express such things is a true gift we give ourselves in moments like this. Thank you for this one.

    My Eulogy piece can be found at
    http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/

    Elizabeth

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  19. rob kistnerJune 14, 2010 at 12:36 AM

    Stan, dad's of that era were strong men, the times dictated such -- my father would have been the same age. What a moving tribute you give him here. Thanks for sharing a bit of him with us in this piece... ;)

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  20. rob kistnerJune 14, 2010 at 12:49 AM

    By the way, whose your team in the World Cup -- the Brits? As I am sure you know, my Yanks tied the Brits 1-1. It was pretty good contest. I thought for sure we had choked giving up that first goal 5 minutes in. USA is thrilled to come away from that match with 1 point in the overall. But Green, the poor goalkeeper for England, may not be safe on his home streets. Hope he has better luck going forward in the Cup, if the keep him in the net...

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  21. Stan SkiJune 14, 2010 at 6:33 AM

    Thanks to:
    Diane; His influences are his legacy.
    Elizabeth; I still have moments of grief, but these are outnumbered by fond memories.
    Rob; Sharing was what he was best at.
    And Green... schoolboy error. But that's football. I see both teams progressing.

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  22. DeepteshJune 14, 2010 at 3:06 PM

    Hey this is brilliant and nostalgic. Arrived from the poetry train. Plz chk out my post at

    http://deepteshpoetry.blogspot.com/2010/06/wedding-of-crystals.html

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  23. Stan SkiJune 14, 2010 at 3:18 PM

    Thanks Poet in flames; Just some of the thoughts going through my head.

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  24. brenda wJune 15, 2010 at 12:19 AM

    Stan, What a moving testament to your father. Man oh man, I wish I had his memory for detail. He lived quite a life, and bore a poet, to boot!

    I like this a great deal.

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  25. Stan SkiJune 15, 2010 at 6:33 AM

    Thanks Brenda; His wartime experiences were somethind he didn't go into too much detail about.

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  26. ChangnoiJune 15, 2010 at 10:15 AM

    I wish I'd known your Dad - my Grandfather.

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  27. Stan SkiJune 15, 2010 at 10:16 AM

    Thanks Changnoi; He would have loved you too.

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  28. Dee MartinJune 16, 2010 at 7:56 AM

    This is so beautifully done, Stan. Made me miss my dad. He's been gone for six years.

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  29. Stan SkiJune 16, 2010 at 8:42 AM

    Thanks Dee; Just passed the fourth anniversary of my Dad's too.

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  30. Robert LloydJune 17, 2010 at 7:28 AM

    Stan, this was amazingly done. A thoughful piece befitting a great man. Thank you for sharing it with us.

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  31. Stan SkiJune 17, 2010 at 8:40 AM

    Thanks Robert; Thoughtfulness was a gift he possessed and passed on.

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  32. FelicityJune 17, 2010 at 10:01 AM

    This was such a beautiful homage. :)
    Love the honest poignancy of your words.

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  33. Stan SkiJune 17, 2010 at 10:15 AM

    Thanks Felicity; He was who he was.

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  34. Mr. WalkerJune 19, 2010 at 3:27 AM

    Stan, a fine gift to us, as well; thank you. Fathers live on in strong ways, and you've expressed it well.

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  35. Stan SkiJune 19, 2010 at 7:34 AM

    Thanks Mr. Walker; Our parents are our finest teachers.

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