In Memory of My Dad!

Flight of Fancy

Our sofa was a spaceship.
We soared between the stars
Visiting distant planets
Like Jupiter and Mars.

My brother and I were astronauts
Dad was Chief Engineer
He'd power up the engines
Then through the heavens we'd steer.

We followed a passing comet,
Met some little green men,
Went to the edge of the universe
And all the way back again.

We travelled across the galaxy
Passed the Milky Way.
Even took tea with the Man in the Moon
And all in just one day!

Our sofa was a spaceship
That special afternoon
Oh! What a great adventure!
And over all too soon!

NB I wrote this as a tribute to my father, who died when I was 9 years old. He was great at inventing ways to entertain us - and sometimes, our friends as well! He had even been known to prepare games a day or two in advance - like the hunt for fairy treasure he once sent us on, as my next rhyme demonstrates.

Golden Memory: A (True?) Story

Daddy has a secret! He was woken by a light!
Something or someone was moving through the garden late one night.
He crept up to the window and, much to his surprise,
He saw a band of tiny folk - about a foot in size.

He knew he must be dreaming, so he blinked and shook his head,
But this action served to sharpen visibilty instead!
He held his breath as he watched in awe (and just a hint of pleasure)
For surely what he witnessed was the burying of fairy treasure!

When their task was finished, the imps stood in a ring.
They started dancing round and round. The speed was dizzying.
Then, just before the sun came up, to herald a brand new day,
The giddy motion slowed to a halt, and they simply flew away.

Later, he told his children where that fortune was interred,
And off we went on a treasure hunt, without another word.
There wasn't much as I now look back: a couple of pennies, a shilling,
a tanner and some threepeny bits. We found it all so thrilling!

As an adult I know how that money got there, but this memory still makes me glad.
Now I'm keeping the glamour alive in my heart -
                                                                          The magic that started with Dad!!!!

Rest in Peace, Dad! I'll never forget you!

Dawn xxxx