Once^

Once 

I ached for your love

I yearned for your attention

Once 

I kissed you good morning 

I hugged you good night

Once 

I turned into a teen

Everything began to change

I drifted from you

To avoid the shame

Once

I cried from a broken heart 

You came to comfort me 

Once

I realized you weren't my enemy

You became my friend 

I learned all my life lessons from you

And just like that 

In a snap of a finger

Once 

Cancer came into the picture

You began to weaken 

But that didn't stop me 

I needed to teach my children the lessons you taught me

So we worked and we worked hard everyday 

To make you better 

But once 

That day came 

And you were gone 

Memories began to fade 

But NO 

I still remember 

I plan to pass along

Everything you gave me

Once

I became stronger 

And DAD you helped

Reviews

[TerryDarcy-Ryan akaSh..]

As always you write beautifully. In the first lines I did not realize you spoke of a parent. As the poem reveals itself I am in touch with emotion I am not sure what to do with. We push our childhood so far away in our adult life that we sometimes forget the very love that conceived , protected and conditioned us into the person we have become. I am sorry for your loss and wish you Peace of mind.
God Bless
Sheer Terror

[Irenic]

the poem is as smooth as cream. Avery beautiful poem:)

[Coyote Poetry]

A sad and wonderful poem for your father. Some people show us how to live and make us feel good. I enjoyed this poem. Your father would be proud of you.
Coyote

[Mr. Lopez]

This is truly a gem of a poem. It was a lot different then what I first thought it would be. Beautifully sentimental and I'm a sucker for sentiment. It holds a powerful message that comes full circle and tugs at the heart. Really really liked it.

[XO Vee]

Thank you so much

[Tessa]

what a heartfelt subject... this poem made my emotions go all over the place. fathers should be cherished because we don't have all the time in the world with them, good job :)

[Hebe]

Truly one of the most touching and beautiful accounts of love ..... what a gift to have a Dad like that....your description and feeling is amazing...

[barleygirl]

This is a heartfelt & beautifully-written, straightforward tribute to a beloved father. Before I forget, I want to make sure you have been reading Coyote Poetry . . . John often writes nice pieces honoring the process of passing along wisdom from generation to generation with a slight Native American tone. I think one of the hardest things to do when telling a story in a poem is to get pacing right. You've done it very well here, especially for covering so much territory in a relatively short piece. There's a good balance between staying "general" to show the overview of how this progresses, but also showing a few examples along the way where specificity makes your story your own. Since I had an abusive relationship with my father, I marvel at reading pieces of what normality looks like & feels like. Sometimes in my life, I don't sign on to facebook around fathers day becuz I can't stand to see all the tributes, which is so far from my own sentiments & experience. Not to put a downer on your well-crafted tribute, but just showing you how it look from the other side of the tracks (((HUGS)))

[ojhgfds]

That was so beautiful, such a well written description of our teen years and the sadness of losing someone too soon. Gorgeous, truly gorgeous. I cried.

[Anjali]

Heart touching tribute to a father. You know what Nony they say, writers find the most difficulty to express about the best people in their lives, since words lack to express the emotions. It would be more of an understatement to say that you have written well, instead I liked the way you expressed each and every emotion related to DAD. Thanks a lot for sharing this poem. God bless you dear. Take Care.

[Valentine]

Very loving tribute to your father. Those of us that were blessed to have had good parents need to be more thankful. Valentine