A Tribute to Pa On His 87th Birthday

His steps are slower now,
He walks, twisted and bent
Flinching from the pain that’s always there.
Yet, resolute in spirit
He stands far above the heads
0f younger men who grapple with despair.

His hair is grayer now.
His eyes--tired and dim
Look with humbleness on the things his hands have wrought.
Born in poverty--and yet
A man unknown to greed,
Whose honesty could be neither sold nor bought.

His children honor him.
His word was law, but still
He never failed to understand our need.
He taught us the dignity of honest toil
And to feel pride in a job well-done.
He always knew that there was school and mouths to feed.

Some years were lean and hard,
With illnesses and mortgages
And crops that failed for lack of rain or too much heat.
But--undaunted by his plight
And doubly sure of next year's yield
He faced the future with great faith and never knew defeat.

He has grown old now.
His neighbors see him go
With heavy steps and slow across the sod.
He misses Mama for he loved her so.
He walks his hills alone--yet unafraid,
At one with nature and at peace with God.

Billie A. Venable