Something Great

 Fathers day 2005

Beth

you were with me
when i figured out
how to dance
to feel music
corner of my eye
i saw
your face shining
i didn't know
what i looked like
but your face said
you were watching
something great

you were with me
i was 7
under the bleachers
open gym night
that awful smell
was intoxicating
weight machines
i could barely reach
you said to try
i remember
ignoring
the other muscle
in the room
laughing at me
you saw how
i loved to lift
and your face said
you were watching
something great

you were with me
when i asked
questions
in the car
why that mountain
was flat on top
why people stand
with a thumb up
why trash doesn't
go out the window
why our bodies
lean when we turn
you knew, i asked
and your face said
you were listening to
something great

ou were with me
when i jumped - fell
i love to jump
i love to fall
off beds
off houses
off bars you made
off cliffs
off diving boards
out of airplanes
you were with me
i needed
someone to catch
and your arms said
you were catching
something great

you were with me
when i became
a parent
learning to watch
patience
it's complicated
and a gift
to be an adult
with a shining face
for a child
now i know
as i try
that when
you were with me
as a child
i was the one
watching
something great
thank you