Monday, June 20, 2011

A Poem From My Dad On Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day, I wanted to share with you a poem my dad wrote for me when I turned 16. I still have the yellowed, wrinkled paper in a frame in my bedroom. It was typed on a good old-fashioned typewriter, and his signature is almost too faded to see. My mom told me I'm the only person he's ever written a poem for besides her. This is something I'll treasure all my life.

SUE IS SIXTEEN

It only happens once,

Sue is sixteen.

From diapers and Mom's concern
To journalism and the track's many turns,
From the Covell Kid to the Sailor's Port,
She's come a long way through Speech and
Spanish, baby sitting and sport.
It only happens once,
Sue is sixteen.

She is the child who came along later,
The one who is the little sister.
But her delay simply made the love greater,
And when she's absent we all know we miss her.
It only happens once,
Sue is sixteen.

How can we say it?
What muse can inspire?
She invokes headaches and affection, praise and ire.
It only happens once.
Sue is sixteen.

Our feelings for her words may not always reflect.
But - she is special.

It only happens once,
Sue is 16.

To Sue with love,
Dad

Thanks, Dad - I love you! And a happy Father's Day week to you all!

40 comments:

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Now that is really sweet!

Unknown said...

This has to be the sweetest thing I've ever read. Susan how special!!! I think, like you, I would hold on to it for the rest of my life - and have it memorized when the wording starts to fade.

Trisha said...

That's lovely!!! What a great thing for your Dad to have done :) And awww, sweet 16. hehe

Joanne said...

What a treasure you have in those words :)

S.A. Larsenッ said...

This is one of the most precious moments I've read on the internet. I'm sure you cherish it. :)

Stina said...

How sweet! You have one special father. :D

DEZMOND said...

lovely poem, Suzy, and happy father's day to all fathers, only the good ones off course :)

Cindy said...

That is so nice he wrote you a poem. What a nice thing to remember on Father's day.

Beth said...

What a wonderful poem! No wonder it means so much to you. A gift from the heart is always the best.

Creepy Query Girl said...

awe, that is so sweet! Made me a little teary:)

Brian's Home Blog said...

That truly is a gift that lasts forever!

Jennifer Shirk said...

Oh my gosh, this brought tears to my eyes! I love his poem and that he wrote just for you for such a special time in your life!

Anonymous said...

awwww.....that was SO cool! Thanks for sharing it.

Old Kitty said...

OH Susan!!!!!!!! Awwwww WOW!! What a super duper special lovely poem from your dad!! Awwww how lovely!!!! This is so sweet - suddenly the birds are singing and we have a rainbow!! that's how lovely this gesture is!! Yay!! Happy Father's Day!! Take care
x

Bossy Betty said...

Awwwww....What a wonderful keepsake this is!!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Now that is a special dad!

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

That is so incredibly precious. Thanks for sharing this, Susan. :)

Amy

Jai Joshi said...

That is so lovely. Happy Father's Day to your father, Susan. He really loves you.

Jai

Jackee said...

Sooooo incredibly sweet. Good thing your 16 year old self knew what a treasure this was and kept it! Happy father's day to your dad and husband.

Have a great week, my dear!

Talli Roland said...

Aw, that's lovely, Susan. You can just feel the love!

Lola Sharp said...

Oh, Susan, this is beyond special...what a treasure! How blessed you are, lucky girl. :) So sweet. *hugs*

Thanks for sharing this with us.

Love,
Lola

Theresa Milstein said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Theresa Milstein said...

That is so sweet. What a treasure to still have after all these years. It shows what a wonderful father you have to have made an effort like that.

Lydia Kang said...

Wow, you have an amazing Dad. And he writes poetry? Wow, what a lucky daughter you are!

Kim said...

Thanks for sharing that poem - such a sweet reminder of just how wonderful dads can be!

Anonymous said...

That's so sweet. Thank you for sharing it.

Have a great week.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

You just made me cry! That was absolutely lovely. I love that your Dad did that for you. So special!!!

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

So, so precious. There is no art as true or as beautiful as art from the heart. Utter perfection. You are so blessed.

Myrna Foster said...

It says a lot about both of you that your dad would share something like that with his sixteen-year-old daughter. :o)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Oh wow, that's so special! Thank you for sharing such a precious poem.

J.C. Martin said...

How sweet of your dad! I can see where you inherited your gift of words from! ;)

Samantha Sotto said...

Too precious for words!

Tony Van Helsing said...

I have to agree with all the above comments, this post is something special indeed.

Deniz Bevan said...

Aww, how utterly sweet! How great that you still have original, too.

Maeve Frazier said...

What a lovely poem! Thanks for sharing it. Your relationship with your Dad must truly be a treasure for you to have held on to it still. Memories are our treasures and treasures are our memories. Share and treasure the moments you have with him. - Maeve

Dawn Simon said...

Aw, that's sooo sweet! You can feel the love in the lines. That's really special, Susan.

Anonymous said...

Now that was special! Thanks for sharing with us. Its great that you still have it after all these years.

Cynthia Chapman Willis said...

Oh, this is amazing! How incredibly special to have this poem to revisit.

Connie Arnold said...

How sweet and lovely! Thanks for sharing that.

Anonymous said...

Oh bless that is so lovely and special :O)