My
Daddy is on my mind. Tonight I offer up the poem I wrote in all its ineptitude,
but it had “to be”. I was asked by my sisters to do the obituary at my Dad’s
funeral three weeks ago. My sisters planned everything and did a great job
doing so, but they told me when I arrived the day before the funeral what my
part was, which was fine, but when I arrived at the church an hour before the
service I had this conversation with the undertaker.
UT:
So, you’re Sarah? And you’ll be doing the obituary and reading a poem?
ME:
What?
UT:
You are doing the obituary?
ME:
Yes, I knew that part, but poem?
UT:
Oh, your sisters thought you might read one of your poems or have a story or
something about your father? That’s alright if you don’t, I suppose, but they
seemed to think….
ME:
No, I get it. I might have something….let me think for a few minutes on it?
UT:
Of course, of course, let us know?
ME:
Of course, I will….yes…just let me think?
And
off I went to the front pew listening to my sisters practice piano and songs
and I turned the obituary that my sister had written out over to start to
scribble some kind of poem or memory on the back and now it was less than an
hour till service. I have so many stories now, but
being on that day and time, I could think of little that was specific or
appropriate to tell, so I began with two lines that popped into my head.
I
was interrupted by several people wanting to hug and talk that had come in
special for the funeral. I hugged and talked. I got back to the task when we
all sat down and my sister Joan began prelude. I knew I had about two minutes
to either produce something or say nothing, which didn’t seem right at all, so
I wrote this and improvised a little better on the fly while standing up there “reading”
it after I’d read the obituary. I didn’t title it until now. I wish it were better, but it did what it was supposed to
do at the time and hints at the great man we all loved.
Daddy’s Steady Gaze
My
father’s eyes
Looked
to the skies
For
inspiration and hope
To
find strength to cope
With
needs beyond his scope
His
kind heart embraced
To
those he spoke
Tying
together he laced
A
community forever
Compassion
he invoked
Daddy
will be missed
Conversations
provoked
Ideas,
love, history
Will
forever float
Around
the memory
Like
he spoke
We
hear his voice
In
ours
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