Color Me a Father

A child with a crayon can color an imaginary world, With dolls of mommies, daddies, boys and girls, Full of horses, cowboys, cars and trains, Can scratch them out and draw them all again, Color me a rainbow with a pot of gold, Color me a fairy with ribbons and bows, Paint my face, a bright yellow sun, In a green grassy field where a blue river runs, With mountains and trees set in a colorful scene, Monkey bars, teeter-totters, an old tire swing, Color my face with a bright happy smile, In a wonderful world, if only for awhile, I can pretend my life is happy and gay, Not worry about the mean stuff, just for the day, Not worry about what I will eat, or where I will sleep, Or the cockroaches and rats that make me creep, Color me a family with brothers and sisters, Color me a man to call Daddy, not Mister, Color my mom in a bright yellow dress, Stretched in a hammock under a tree with a nest, In the yard of the house, we can call our own, With neighbors on each side of our lovely home, Color my dreams carefree and wild, Color my life always as a child, Color me a father, color me a Dad, Color me the life that I never had. Color me a garden with fruits of all kinds, Apples, pears with grapes on the vine, Color me a crayon that’s really a crayon, Not this old sharpened pencil that I just found, To draw my picture on this brown paper bag, That was once filled with gin and Ole’ Granddad, Now, Dream me a dream…Once upon a time, I had a real father that I can call mine!