The Summer of '69

My Dad

It is a sultry summer afternoon,
we splash and play in the
cool water of the shallow pool.
In the kitchen Mom is preparing
the potato salad for the BBQ, the air
is filled with the sounds of baseball
coming from the shabby portable radio.
On the porch you sit, drinking a beer, enjoying
the warmth and the sound of our laughter.
In other yards, other Dads are chasing
giggling children across emerald carpets.
I often wonder, now, if you longed to feel
the soft green beneath your feet.
In the coming twilight, drowsy
from the heat and food,
Mom brings out
blankets and pillows and we lie
on our backs, waiting for the velvet curtain
of night. Gasping in wonder as shimmering
stars sweep the sky. Smiling at our delight,
you tell us... these are other planets,
other suns.
What an amazing Dad.

copyright Sherry Obsheatz