Farewell and Remember

Looking back I desire to share what I've learned

Of winding rivers, upward spiraling trees,

Monumental mountains and icy blue streams.

I will write it all down, my memories great

The silvery scales of rainbow trout, the bear,

The Alaskan eagle that sores, and the mouse.

Becoming a father, afraid and excited

Holding the baby you were, guiding the child

So proud of the young woman you are, so proud.

I have seen the world, its wonders, and secrets

Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock, Egypt's great Nile,

Mexico City for three years, and France.

I've written it down in the Story of Me.

I have time yet, to share what I know and don't

I bequeath my old quill, parchment, and black ink.

Write what you have learned, the good, the bad, the sweet.

I give you my journals, my notes - you must read.

Read to your children - remember me and smile.

My gift to you has been my love, light, and truth.

The love of life, the light of knowledge - pure truth.

I wrote this poem a couple of months after my father was diagnosed with cancer. While he was recovering from surgery, my daughter and I would visit him and my mother in Utah. During one of those visits, he shared a story that he had begun to write. As I read each page I realized that it was a farewell to his children. When I returned home, I wrote "Farewell and Remember". I returned to Utah for his 79 birthday last July and then two weeks later he passed away early in the morning, August 1, 2021.