Friday, February 01, 2008

Fri. Feb 01/08 - Calgary, Alberta

Today I completed a poem about my dad (John Vis Sr.)

Dear Creator,
You struck a good balance
When you linked the leaf and petal
Came a man of heart and muscle
Smooth as silk, hard as metal.

With pride he told his pastimes
Of a place of mills and dikes
Which fueled life then and there
With feet on skates and feet on hikes.

Folks then bore brutal war
Watched the stock market crash
Lost jobs but not nerve –
Convictions could never be smashed.

He left the land below sea level
For a promised place remote
Atlantic waters rippled by
Wonderlust was his virtual boat.

He married a lady called Rose
They passed through fragrance and thorns
They begot two guys ‘n two gals
Then a twin was newly born.

He walked us down the outdoor trails
But inside told of birds and bees
He gave us each those daily chores
And how to milk those cows with ease.

He grew those plants with his green thumb
Toiled decades on the assembly line
With different strokes he cracked those jokes
He was just fun-loving all the time.

Patience he learned in a very hard way
He gave us our choices in life
Our music was not to cope with
It gave him some stress and strife.

His was a full life of colour
Sporting half beard and wooden shoes.
He was extraordinary and yet ordinary
An upbeat dad you thought you’d never lose.

His heart froze in the land of the petal
His body lies in the land of the leaves
Oh Creator, rest his soul in heaven
For he was born to give and to please.

H.H. Bhaktimarga Swami
4 Kms today.