Rich Stahl soaking in Miracle Hot Springs, southern Idaho. Photo © Greg Stahl.
I watched with child’s eyes—
Listened with little ears—
And learned as the man
I knew as dad
Played paragon.
I remember soaring
Above shag carpets
On weathered feet
And racing—
Always losing—
To the car.
There were tender ways
He touched my mom
And his dry, wry humor,
A friendly, furry face
Gently prodding when
Times were hard.
I remember seeing the calm
Of gentle disappointment,
Spoken expressions to which
Verbal lashes and angry hands
Can’t compare.
I remember a happy, intelligent
Spirit, who above all things
Seemed simply—
Well—
Content.
There were stories over beers
About a dad other dads revere,
And I marveled at how I missed
Seeing things that had always
Been right there.
I remember a man who listened
To trivial problems,
Who was willing to give
When take was all I knew,
Who whistled through the hard times
And whistled through the festive
Times and whistled when life
Seemed easy to forget.
I remember a man who
Drove me across the country
So I could chase a dream,
Who hung my grades
On his office wall
When I finally—
Finally—
Made the Dean’s List.
Certainties from a certain past
Mark me today. They’re a brand
I wear, one forged over time through
Hours of unknowing observation.
And throughout this ordeal
Called growing up—
A process still today—
I remember thinking this:
This the kind of man
I aspire to be.
And he still is.
I watched with child’s eyes—
Listened with little ears—
And learned as the man
I knew as dad
Played paragon.
© Greg Stahl
my best birthday wishes to the madrigal. i hope his day and this new year are wonderful!
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For you t-crossers and i-dotters out there, you might be horrified. I’m laughing. Thing is, I’ve always been bad at this.
Called home this afternoon to wish my dad a happy birthday. He says, “That was Thursday.”
I was like, “huh? I have your birthday on my birthday calendar as the 19th. Is it the 16th?”
“No. It’s the 17th.”
“Oh,” I said. “I guess even when I try to do this right I screw it up.”
“It’s good to hear from you anytime,” he replied.
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staci Reply:
December 20th, 2009 at 11:37 am
i like your dad.
i hope his birthday, AND today have been happy.
=)
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Heh. I thought I was the only one who celebrated my dad apart from the pack… though my stint was a rather annual one for a few years… my dad handled it with that same paternal grace with which yours answered back today…. fact is, he may have never told me, it came out in a conversation with my sister one year…
Love the pic! Stinkin’ contagious little smile you were sporting with your pop!
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Beautiful, just beautiful…
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Greg Reply:
December 20th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Thanks, William. Good to see you ’round these parts. Hope you’re having a great holiday–and loving every minute of being a dad.
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LOVE IT!!!
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Greg Reply:
December 24th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Ya ves como eres!!
Did I spell it right?
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