Poem

After our recent sad news, I wanted to share this poem I found on the internet; I thought it was apt and very poignant. You can visit the blog here:


http://needleinahaystackstitchery.blogspot.com/search/label/Fathers


My son called today;
He needed some advice
On how to wire the pick-up
To his trailer.

We chatted about resources,
Who to talk to,
Testing tools and time.

He apologized for calling
During my lunch hour;
He thanked me for helping
Him make a plan of action.

It was a good father-son interaction;
An informative phone call.

In between the lines-
Between the talk-
And the pauses
And the brief silences,
I heard him say:
“Love ya, dad,
Thanks for talking with me,
Guiding me, helping me-
I like it when we solve
Problems together”.

“Thanks for loving my mother,
And providing for us.
Thanks for showing me
How to be a man and knowing
About wiring, pick-ups and trailers”.

I heard all those things today,
In a five minute phone call,
From a town in Idaho,
A thousand miles away.

I’ll be gone someday;
He’ll have sons of his own:
Sons that will look to him for
Guidance,
Leadership,
Example.

In the not too distant future,
He won’t be able to chat with me
On a moment's notice.
All too soon he will have to face
The world without a dad.

He’ll have a problem:
Mechanical, financial,
A simple decision;
And
He’ll think about calling me

Then remember…

He can’t…

I wish I could call my Dad


Gary Eckhardt
© 2010 February
Atascadero