A Dr. Pepper and a Chick-O-Stick,
Breakfast on the road,
When dress shoes and shirt and tie
Were pushed aside in the closet,
Exchanged for cowboy boots,
And a Wrangler button-down shirt,
Both well worn.
We climbed inside an old truck,
Me and my dad,
To head out to his ranch in Decatur.
To a small herd of Brangus —
To his herd.
I was afraid of horses,
I froze when cows came too close,
I was too skinny to be of any real help
With heavy bags of feed.
But he let me tag along.
Those mornings I woke up easy,
Excited.
Thinking.
It was like going to his office
Only better.
Phone calls and secretaries
Couldn’t interrupt.
I sat on the passenger side
Of the truck’s bench seat
And pulled the door, hard, to close it.
The hinges creaked
Before the door slammed shut,
A hint, I suppose,
That it had been awhile.
He cracked open his drink,
And unwrapped his candy bar.
“Ready?” he announced.
I grinned,
And scooted over, closer to him.
Simply lovely, Christi. These are the moments. Captured so beautifully, to be treasured forever. (Great photo too.) Thanks; so glad I saw this.
Thanks, Vaughn 🙂 I had fun digging through old photos!
Beautiful, Christi. I love the first line, it’s just the right mood instantly.
Thanks, Victoria. I wasn’t sure how this piece would turn out, but I knew I wanted that line front and center.
Christi I am so blessed to be called your sister … you have such a way of bringing the simple memories to life!! By the way life in Decatur hasn’t changed all that much!
Rena’, Your comment made my morning. I sure miss that ranch, too, and I know I’m not the only one. It’s soothing to know Decatur is still the same 🙂 xoxo
Such a sweet way to honor your father on father’s day! Events have a way of camping forever in a bright spot in our memories to be enjoyed again and again. Thank you for sharing this one with us. Blessings to you…
Thank you, Carol. I hope you had a lovely weekend.
What a beautiful poem, and the last line is absolutely priceless! You are so lucky to have such a good relationship with your dad — I love the photo of the two of you!
Thanks, Julia. I love those photos, too 🙂
Your poem is a beautiful testament to father/daughter love.
Thank you, Beth. There’s definitely something special about a father/daughter relationship. I see it in my husband and my daughter as well.
Your writing is so incredible it makes me feel like a little girl again. If we could just do it one more time…
Your comment means a lot to me, Cyndi. And, you said it all, in wanting to go back there some days. Those were simple times! xoxo