Father sits in the living room
Relaxing in his easy chair
History book open on his lap
Eyes closed
Dead tired from the days work
Laying carpet in the upstairs bedrooms
Painting the kitchen or
Building a workshop in the basement.

On a counter nearby are three tape measures
One for each floor, he says with a wink
When asked why he keeps the three
All in one place.

I turn on the TV to watch a ballgame
Father stirs and, pretending he's been reading,
Lifts his book
"What's the score?" he asks.
"The Sox are losing again." I tell him,
And soon his tired, grey head rolls forward once more
And he is resting again.

--For my father, William E. Merrill, who, as a school administrator for more than 30 years, spent countless nights at School Board and PTA meetings for the benefit of the children of the Lebanon and Somersworth, N.H. and Randolph, Vt. School Districts.

Back to Bourbon Cowboy's Poetry & Prose.

Back to Home of the Bourbon Cowboy.