Inspired by Jen Case's poem of the same title discussed 1/5 and 1/12, Valerie did a beautiful reading of her poem below.
Beloved Father
Beloved Father
Spelled in flowers
Two words of sorrow
For
William Vullo
6/14/33-7/14/21
He lived
Through WWII, Vietnam
Desert Storm, Afghanistan
War on Terror, War on Drugs,
9/11, January One
14 presidents and a demagogue
He saw
Lunar landing, Electron microscope
Colored TV, Hubble telescope
Polio vaccine, antibiotics
Satellites, cell phones,
Internet and instagram
At 88, cancer claimed him
But did not rename him
My Beloved Father
Will always be my Dad
When I was little
He flew me on his legs
Like an airplane
Carried me up stairs
Like “The Great One”
Turned bath towel
Into Hula skirt
Invented stories
Helped with homework
Taught me to play tennis
Beyond stroke technique--
How to win with strategy,
How to lose gracefully
Took me cross country skiing
Knocked pine branches
With his poles
Always using perfect timing
To send snow cascading
Onto my head
After gleeful warning:
“Timber!!!!”
At the wake I was surprised by how
Cheerful he looked
An impish smile formed
By his smooth lips
So cute I snapped one last pic
Of his adorable face
At the funeral he came to us
Dressed as a sunbeam
Pouring down love
Through skylight above
His timing perfect again
As he floated in
To angelic strains
Of “Ave Maria”
The final gift he gave to us
I found in top drawer of his desk
Meticulously organized
before his passing
To ease the burden of transition:
A note proscribing
Prolonged mourning
He wrote he’s happy
In his new place
Said he loves and waits for us
His reassuring voice
Soothed the wounded hearts
Of those left behind
How did he know
That at that very moment
Those were the exact words
We needed to hear?
Beloved Father
Dad
You live
Time and space
cannot separate us
When the time is right
We will reunite
-- Valerie Vullo
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