A beautiful marriage

Of love and trust,

Turns to premature labor,

And new baby musts.

 

Bottles, diapers and pacifiers,

Hammer, nails and a new pair of pliers.

 

I’ll build the crib

Where the miracle sleeps,

Our pride and joy

Whines and weeps.

 

It becomes a lullaby,

A peaceful song,

A beautiful droning,

It doesn’t take long.

 

He sleeps in peace

With dreams in his head.

Bunnies and birds,

Dance in his bed.

 

He awakes in the morning,

A smile on his face.

Baby food spoonfuls

All over the place.

 

He giggles and laughs,

It’s just a game.

I chuckle and relax,

Why not think the same.

 

He lays his head to the pillow,

He awakes a boy.

First day of school arrives,

He receives his new toy.

 

A backpack with paper,

A yellow painted pencil.

Crayons and tissues,

An alphabet stencil.

 

He’s a little man,

With potential to be,

Should I be scared,

Or should I worry.

 

Will he make friends,

Or be a bully?

Will he play nice,

Or meet Principal Cully?

 

A year passes,

And then two.

There goes sixth grade,

He graduates in June.

 

Our miracle became a boy,

Now he’s a man.

In his cap and gown,

At graduation I stand.

 

I cheer and clap,

He’s made me so proud.

He approaches the podium,

And addresses the crowd.

 

A tear leaves my face,

A glorious day.

He approaches me,

And he says.

 

“Dad you’ve raised me well,

All these years.

Helping me with homework,

And conquering my fears.”

 

He hugs me,

A warm embrace.

He steps back,

And I see his face.

 

Filled with tears,

His eyes sparkle with joy.

And I reminisce,

When my man was a boy.

 

That first day of school,

That wave goodbye.

It broke my heart,

The day he had to fly.

 

Off to the West coast,

New semester in September.

He says goodbye to me,

“And always remember.

 

“Dad, I’m now a man,

But no matter what,

I’m still your little boy,

The little pain in the butt.

 

I know that you love me,

I see it when you cry.

You and ma raised me,

You made me wise.”

 

Then he left,

And I closed my eyes,

And thought once more,

Of our first goodbyes.

 

That first day of school,

His head held high,

Glad to be a student,

Glad to be alive.

 

The years have passed,

Since those days.

Now he’s coming home,

He graduates college in May.

 

Many years of school,

He got a degree,

I paid lots of money,

For the Ph.D.

 

He walks in the door,

Laundry in hand.

“Hey Dad,” he says,

With that I stand.

 

My boy has grown,

Now taller than me.

“Give me a hug old man,”

He says with glee.

 

He now has wife,

With kids of his own.

And through the years,

He still comes home.

 

I tell the kids stories,

Of their father’s youth.

That first baseball game,

And of his first tooth.

 

My boy is man,

And now I can see.

My man is a proud father,

Just like me.

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