Almanac Poetry: ‘Dad’

He was a straight psychedelic
Australian
Born in Austria

He let me ride with him
In his taxi
The first person
To show me the horizon
And how you can fly
Over it with humour

He wore long socks
Over chicken legs

He had gold teeth
Which he gave to my sister

But he left me
With more gold than I know
What to do with

You should have seen
How he treated people

And still does
He trades in the most exquisite love

Help full of judgement
Yet love without fail

A heart as big as the Old Labor Party

He’s my light on the hill
And will forever be

But when he’s got the Shits
You pay for it like you will never ever forget it

You should meet his friends
They love him

He’s got one helluva story
But he taught me
This

Always go to places you have never been

Even though it hurts
And he didn’t teach me this with words

I saw him in action

And I only saw a bit

Now I’m feeling it

His trade

Fitter and Turner

Says it all

He provided a good place
for poetry to begin

For I will never forget
Him

“Gerard,
Wherever you are
And whatever you are doing

The meter is always running.”