It was a summer’s day,
To Michigan we were on our way,
We stopped at the bay, you always let me have my way
You held my hand for me to see, you guided me so tenderly
You let me be whoever I wanted to be,
You never pushed me in any direction,
I always knew you felt so much loving affection
You told me I could go far, if I wanted to I could be a star
I wanted to follow in your footsteps.
At the Arlington Race Track we would place bets,
You bought me my first pet.
When my cat died, it was you who held me when I cried.
It was in you I could confide, for you were always my guide.
To me you were perfection
Or at least that was my childhood perception
I loved the way you held my hand,
The way we drove and talked throughout the land,
The way you always took note of my little mentions,
The way you answered all my questions,
You never failed me, you were my rock
We used to go fishing off the neighbors dock
We would go for walks in the park until it got dark
You taught me how to ride my bike and how to fly a kite
You walked me to school everyday,
Until I felt that I was old enough to go my own way
Oh how I miss those days.
It was the end of the school year,
But I had everything to fear,
For you it was possible the end was near.
Your heart wasn’t strong, but you held on.
Remember when I told you to stay,
But your body drifted you away?
I remember our last phone call,
I was trying hard not to bawl,
Shamefully, that simple phrase, “I Love You,” I was almost too afraid to say
I didn’t want this to be your last day
I didn’t want this time to be special, I didn’t want this to be the last time I said it-
Your death was something my young mind would not permit.
“I Love you!” A million more times I had wanted to say
I remember the last words we spoke,
I remember the next morning when I awoke,
Mom called and said you were fine,
Somehow I knew this wouldn’t be the end of the line
Never again would we go out to Mitchell’s and dine.
I went to camp that summer as planned,
I sent you a letter, I told you to get better.
I told you a lot of stuff I had wanted you to know,
I learned how to horseback ride and I learned how to ski,
Proud I knew you would be.
Apparently you died before you got my letter,
My eyes were already wet, that just made them wetter.
Those two weeks ended and in the parking lot I saw our old red Mercedes-
This almost brought me to my knees, I said Oh No Please!
Mom was there, at first all I could do was just stare
On it’s end was my hair
I received the bad news,
I dreaded sitting in those pews
I couldn’t stop crying,
If I told you this ended, I would be lying
Your funeral came, so did the pain
I lay awake every night for a long while,
Just wanting to drive with you for one more mile.
To see you one last time, I would have swum the Nile.
Everyone said things would get better slowly,
I thought this was based on lies solely
Well time did pass, turns out the pain didn’t last
I thought I was totally fine,
I thought there was not another tear I could possibly cry-
I thought my eyes had run dry.
Driving along today, I thought of you
I thought of all those times you took me to the zoo
I surprised myself, I surprised my health;
I cried, not out of pain, for this time I knew I only had you to gain
I cried out of happiness, this time there was no black abyss
Tears of joy, for you were the best Dad I could have possibly had
I’m not at all sad nor am I mad, I’m just so glad it was you I had.
Last night I had a dream, Oh how real it did seem
You were back from the dead,
Your arms were outspread,
We just had a normal day;
It was around may, but it felt like one of those warm summer days
To Michigan we were on our way,
You held my hand while we stopped at the bay…