Happy Birthday Dad

Strong hands who held me up to the sun A harbinger of knowledge so hard won By his side I felt so good Safe and sound like a son should He fought the Japanese during the war As a gunner on a destroyer he knew the score A hard worker who didn’t always win He taught me the truth and for me always a grin We lost him early from cancer then And he suffered right up to the end It’s hard to think of him and I miss him each day Wanting him back and wishing he’d stayed But we play the cards we are dealt When I see him again my heart will melt So now I work it out each day With a thought “What would my father say?” © Paul Warren Poetry