a poem written for a dear friend following the death of her dad – published in Confluence Medway
Around one in twelve single parents are fathers
My dad wasn’t one in twelve
My dad was one in a million
He made me breakfast, raised me right
Made me brush my teeth at night
Made me think and made me laugh
Played the joker, acted daft
Cheered me on and gave support
In every battle that I fought
He loved the union, made me see
The power of solidarity
He had a view on every topic
Generous and philanthropic
Compassionate and with affection
Gave his help to cats protection
He loved a drink, a racing card
Prayed for help when times were hard
He made excuses, made mistakes
Made frequent trips to fishing lakes
To Yalding and the River Medway
Caught one *this* big, making headway
Tried to make me change my team
To Chelsea — no Dad, in your dreams!
Loved to watch the motor racing
Forward-looking, outward facing
He made my heart break, made me cry
Made me search the world for why
He’s made me carry on without him
I love just everything about him
Sometimes I don’t know how I’ll do it
But then his memory guides me through it
So let me raise this little dram
To Dad — who made me who I am.
