Dad's Shoes

A more somber side of the curmudgeon.
December 2nd is my dad's birthdate. He died in 1981, but my family and I can't help but remember this day as his birthday.
So with that, here is a poem I wrote in 1993 while remembering him one year.

Daddy's Shoes

An old pair of shoes
Left alone in the hall,
Right there on the floor
Sitting next to the wall.

"These were Daddy's shoes"
Ma said as we passed,
On the way to the room
Where Dad had slept last.

He left this world happy
And said on that day
"I've led a full life."
We still miss him today.

But we all had the chance
To have our lives filled,
With his knowledge and wisdom,
Our souls he helped build.

So we look back and smile
And know he loved us all.
I gaze at those worn shoes
Sitting there in the hall.

I think of the roads
On which he has passed
The giving without taking
Doing without being asked.

Someday I'll be as good a man
I'll have paid all my dues
But not 'till I've walked a mile or more
In my Daddy's shoes!

I don't mind if anyone wants to pass this along. All I ask is you include my name.