“From this valley they say you are going, I will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile,
For they say you are taking the sunshine, that brightens our pathways awhile.”
Traditional
2024
From my new town
to my old town
on the first of June,
with the windows down
on a breezy afternoon.
Cruisin’ the back roads
with the radio on;
I was singing along.
The scent of fresh-cut grass
wafted across my memory
Tears welled up.
My heart felt light
and heavy.
It brought me back
half a century
to another day in June.
———————
1970’s
From the girl’s room window
to the side yard,
(where the lilacs had not long ago bloomed),
I saw my father there
in cut-off shorts of denim,
striped in orange, brown and blue,
his unbuttoned shirt
and his Saturday shoes.
The scent of fresh-cut grass
wafted into my room
I ran outside,
with my shoes
still untied.
My heart was so happy
when Dad was home early
on a Saturday afternoon.
———————
From my small hand
to his strong hand
where he stood on the ladder,
I passed him nails and paintbrushes,
while he hummed a sweet song
about Red River Valley
and a cowboy
who loved so true.
He patiently listened
as I rambled on.
He knew the names
of my teachers
and my favorite songs.
He taught me so much,
in his quiet way,
on those Saturdays
———————
From the side yard
to the backyard,
where we planted grass,
Together, we scattered seeds
from our own hands,
even though we knew,
with all of those children,
the seeds never stood a chance.
We patiently waited
for them to grow
We watched the yellow blades
turn to green
and the earthy spaces fill in.
“Never stop trying”,
my father taught me,
on an ordinary day.
———————
From my dirt-filled fingernails
to my mussed-up ponytails,
he never seemed to mind.
From my silly poems
to my calligraphy-
he bought me pens
and fancy papers,
he encouraged me
even if I talked too much
or sang out of tune
or daydreamed away
the whole
summer afternoon.
———————
2024
From the back road
to Calvary Cemetery
I drove past his grave
I found an angel figurine
and brought her home
to my new town
with her flowing gown
and her pretty long hair
In my new front yard
Peonies bloomed.
I watched them
from my new window
on a summer afternoon.
Paula Queen
