MY FATHER DIDN'T ( A POEM )

MY FATHER DIDN’T….. ( A POEM )

My father didn’t leave me anything in life

Except his looks which didn’t amount to much

But which established that he was my “truly begotten father”

And I, his Prince of Wales.

He was a Military Officer, brusque, blunt, stern looking

With a huge moustache that diminished in size and magnificence

As he grew older and grey with age and diabetes

Before it vanished altogether.

Lord, he had many friends who drank at his expense.

Some made a habit of it and died of it.

He and a few lived on like an inebriated Ulysses and his band

Tasting and toasting life with a bottle of rum.

When he went, he didn’t even leave me

An empty bottle of rum as a relic;

Only his friends who said my dad

Was a jolly good guy who could stand

A bottle of rum better than a pirate,

And wondered why I couldn’t be my father’s son

And drink a toast with them to bid “adieu”.

Note : Folks, don't get me wrong. This is a humorous poem. My father and I shared a wonderful relationship of mutual love and respect. He was a World War II veteran who served the country with distinction. His regret was that I didn't become a Colonel Blimp like he and my elder brother. But he was very proud of me and my achievements.