My father and I
Were staring at the beautiful night sky.
It was so black, so big, and unbounded.
And the stars were there
Trillions of them!
Fixed, bright, clear:
It was magnificent.
I felt small under that panorama.
It’s been there so long,
And it will be there
Even when this earth is long gone.
It’s so awesome and overpowering,
And the thought it being so eternal
And me being so transient
Scared me.
But not my father.
He understands the universe.
I was lying down on the grass
And he was lying underneath it.
Notes
I wrote this poem when I was 18 years old. My father died when I was 3 ½ years old. He has been with me all my life.
When my Mago submission was due this morning, this poem came to my attention me like a shooting star. I went to the basement and found my poetry book. Yesterday was my father’s birthday. Tomorrow is Father’s Day. This Mago submission is my father, Allen Schmid’s doing.
PS: My name is Dale Allen. When I was in my 20s and working in New York and LA in acting, voice-overs and stand-up comedy, I created the name Dale Allen, using my father’s first name in place of our surname.
I was prompted to go down the basement and get this poem. It was in a box that I have moved with me several times to different homes since I was 18 years old. The thought was like a shooting star – my attention fully taken and the directive clear. Sharing it has opened an inner door that I was not expecting, but it feels oh-so-good.
Thank you, Sara – thank you… publishing this poem has been a big deal for me.
Dale Allen: such a simple exquisite poem that encompasses the whole… it is amazing to me how the beloved dead live on…