Poem for Father's Day

Of course I have to do one for Father's day too. . .



He held
his new baby in his arms, seven times.
He held
nectarines and powdered raspberry filled doughnuts
before he would hold several large logs.
He held my sheep
to learn its weight.
He held a steady job for as long as I can remember.
When the boys were naughty, he held
a belt,
which held
their attention,
and when Lewis was very sick, he held
a plane ticket to Alaska.
He held my hand
on my baptism day
and when his parents passed when his baby was only three, he held
his family together.
He held fish and birds and deer
with his boys.
He held two gallons of milk almost every night.
He held a Nintendo, a keyboard, some goose decoys,
on Christmas Eve.
It is safe to say that I didn’t really understand my Dad until I had my own kids, till I learned how it is to have to hold it all together.
He still holds it together, and drops by to hold his grandchildren.
I only hope to be able to hold as much as he does.


Happy Father's Day, Dad! Love, Margot