My Father Slept Well

On the occasion of what would have been his 101st birthday, March 31, 2024

My father slept well,
And often, wherever he could
Whenever he could.

He always woke early
An old habit, from his youth
Accompanying his father
On the newspaper rounds.

Later on the farm
The chickens, 
In their hundreds of thousands,
Needed too his early morning
Attentions. 

And once in the city
He'd drive me to school, 
With breakfast on the way. 

Any break in the day
Was time to nap,
From which he wake
With a stretch and yawn,
That was great!

Once, on the boat, 
A sudden swell jumped us, 
And down below, he rolled
Off the settee to a jumble on the cabin's sole.

You okay, I yelled from the deck,
Yeah, he said, grabbing a pillow down, 
And back to sleep, 
Lured by waves and salt spray
To dream of early morning
Deliveries.