Sad Day
My beloved father died this afternoon. He was conscious and loving and consciously loving until his last breath. I feel lucky to have known him, much less to be his daughter.
I will probably write about both his life and death more in the future. For today, I’ll settle for an older poem, a sonnet of sorts. It doesn’t really describe that much about him, just a habitual moment in our lives.
My Father
My father knelt beside my bed; his round head
reflecting the bedside lamp with the look
of lighting within. “And the genie,” he said,
“came out of a big blue jar.” Not from a book
were the stories he told me at night.
Always of genies who were big-blue-jarred
and did fairly little, only the slight
magic of minor wishes, often ill-starred.
But the stories were just a warm up to
our prayers. “Our Father,” those would start,
the words heading for hallowed, trespass too.
Interlocking like a spell he knew by heart,
they croakingly invoked a wished-for will
that the blue genied jar could never fulfill.
Tags: Karin Gustafson poetry, manicddaily, poem about father, sonnet about father
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ManicDDaily 
January 5, 2012 at 9:04 am
‘Sorry’ doesn’t come close. I feel for you.
January 5, 2012 at 2:52 pm
i am sorry for your loss…my wifes mom paased away a few years ago…it was a hard time…in my thoughts as you move through this…
really nice verse…made me smile thinking of reading to my own…
January 6, 2012 at 1:21 am
I am so sorry for your loss. Praying for you and those who love him.
January 6, 2012 at 8:33 am
My condolences Karin. Losing a parent is never easy no matter how old we are. My own father passed on in 1996 and I still have a clear memory of that sad day. Time does ease the pain, though the loved one is still missed. I still remember how when I was little my father would take me to A&W for a bottle of root beer and a sundae with two spoons. He worked nights back then but made it a point to spend time with me when he could. As long as we have good memories of those who have passed they aren’t really gone, and I fully expect to see him again one day.
January 6, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Dear Charles, thanks so much for sharing this lovely thought and memory. My dad also took me to A & W. A great place back then, the frosty mugs alone kind of magical. Thanks very much. K.
January 8, 2012 at 6:50 am
You’re quite welcome Karin. I remember those mugs. They came in two sizes as I recall. Thick glass, with the A&W logo on the side. Now they use a standard paper cup. Too many people ‘collected’ the glass mugs I guess. Things were a lot simpler back then (or so it seemed) and the world was more ‘innocent.’ Or at least it seemed so at the time.
January 8, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Charles, do you have a blog? It never shows up on your comment. I would definitely visit if you send me info. K.