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Reversal

I remember
The taste of your
Smokey lips,
The acrid after taste,
The smell of tobacco
That clung around you
Mixed with Old Spice.
And the paper boats we made.
All the games of hide and seek.
Of catch ball.
The gentle bear hugs,
Feel of your whiskers
Which tickled my face.
Sips of tea out of your big mug,
Warm and sweet.
I remember how big you were,
How my tiny hand
Was engulfed by yours.
How you used to swing me high in the air
And brought me back down to earth
Catching me in your strong safe arms.
How you taught me to garden.
Of waiting at the gate till you came home,
How you lifted me and carried me indoors
While you'd listen to my childish prattle
As you sat me on your knee.
Made me feel special.
Taught me to be a man.
Now you lie in a too big bed
Thin, frail and weak.
Your white hair upon the pillow.
Your strong hands now twisted claws.
When did you get so small
And I so big.
Now I am the protector,
But child in me wants you back
And asks, Where did my father go?

poem by Paul Brookes
Added by Poetry Lover
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