Dads

 He's been through a lot
 this father of mine
 and from him we all
 draw our strength
 Don't give up. Don't complain.
 That isn't the family way.
 To him we look up
 through him we move on
 which makes it that much more hard
 to think of a life
 without him there
 Who will be our cornerstone?
 The answer is simple
 and very profound
 he will still be here you see
 When the wind blows
 on the side of my face
 or a beaver swims in the pond
 when the lightening bugs fly
 when the snow falls down
 when the moon shines bright
 on a clear starry night
 Dad will be here with us
 because we are a part of him. 

My father gave me wings
 I wasn't 'just a girl'
 I could do anything!
 Except eat fishes with their heads
 a result of days spent trout fishing
 fighting mosquitoes and my brothers
 My dad always said
 You are MY daughter
 Don't complain, just do it!
 Like taking showers in the woods
 a bucket tied in a tree
 and only one temperature – icy cold
 My dad told me not to cry
 when my arm was shattered in
 pieces and invaded by screws and pins
 Or when he was dying of cancer
 trying to make people laugh at
 the end reciting cowboy poetry
 My father still tells me to be strong
 when he visits me in my dreams
 alone in the half light of my prison cell
 Except I'm not really alone
 I can feel the love from my God
 and the presence of my dad
 who gave me wings, but
 still hovers close, willing me
 to be strong. Like him.
 And,
 I
 Am. 

 She is my favorite visitor
 the light at the end of my week
 I know she will make me smile
 and wash away the bleak
 She's the song my heart sings,
 the smile and hand on the glass.
 She makes me believe in myself,
 that this, too, shall pass.
 Buoyed by the strength and faith
 which only a mother's love brings
 I can heal the broken me and fly
 away on my father's wings.
 
 June 13, 2007