Sunday, June 20, 2010

A Father Has Taken His Very Young Family To Devil's Lake, a poem, by Margaret Benbow

For Theodore Savides, April 6, 1915- September 14, 2001
(Happy Father's Day, Dear Dad)



A father has taken his very young family
to Devil's Lake. Dinosaur-sided slabs of
rocks the age of stars stare down
from their dizzying tumble
at these lilies of a day.

Little sisters horse around in melted topaz water
noting too late the thrillingly ominous
absence of the father
who can swim underwater for incredible distances
and now in our midst a dazzling sea monster
explodes roaring from the depths laughing
shucking kids like sheaves
on towering gouts of waves
mighty arms gleaming-scaled with shining lake-beads
and we yell with one throat until we see the monster is
Torpedo Dad
our starry but trustworthy giant
and we become giddy
leap around him like tipsy fish
hang from his ears like fond pygmies
use the launching pad of his kind shoulders
for our brave and blazing back-flips.

9 comments:

  1. This is a wonderfully joyous Father's Day post, Margaret. I love so much of your wording (e.g., "melted topaz water," "Torpedo Dad," "pygmies").
    Enjoy the memories.
    xoRobyn

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  2. Wonderful Father's Day tribute!

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  3. very beautiful...
    awesome job of writing

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  4. Robyn, I was very happy writing this poem. Some memories really are a joy to revisit.

    Ms. Anthropy, thank you for your kind words!:^)

    Pat, your post about meeting your father, as an adult, and his response, was so open-hearted and moving.Readers will remember it for a long time.

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  5. Wonderful! What a vivid memory! You captured that scary excitement we all had so well. That's just what Dad was like on those rare occasions he came with us to the lake! Thank-you. xo

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  6. WOW-- Am I glad you found me--and I came over-- What a treasure!!

    John

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  7. Hi John, thanks for visiting my blog. I just visited yours and saw the new picture. WHOA and YIKES!!!!!!!

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  8. Susie, thanks so much for the kind comment! Those happy times at Devil's Lake really were something to cherish, weren't they? :^)

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