The Father
He was strong and proud
Hat flecked with dust
Face smeared with oil
He was my Dad
He hailed from a time
When life was black and white
The world a simpler place
When things made sense
He loved his kids
Polished his car on Sundays
A wife was for keeps
Not just until her beauty
fades
And Saturdays
The Labour Club to watch a
turn
With chicken in the basket
In suit and tie
How the modern world bemused
him
Tattoos and Ladyboys
Replace national service
And long Apprenticeship
Tracksuits and shaven heads
Make him yearn for a time
When gay meant happy
And blackberry was just a
fruit
My Dad! Lived through a war
Uncomplicated
Uncompromising in certain
ways
He was of his time
As his generation fade away
It breaks my heart
They will be missed
He will be missed!
By Carol Ann Atkinson
All rights reserved
17/5/2013
