My Dad's Birthday

This is poem I composed for my Dad's birthday

Climbing Chairs, A Portrait Of My Father Sonnet #9
When I was young the table loomed so high;
I struggled to glimpse what was above,
but left below and left behind to cry
were parts of life I never learned to love.
And left alone I traveled everywhere:
the countryside and islands far from home,
to some by chance, and less by choice (for there
are winds that steer us on our course to roam.

I didn’t find what I was looking for
on China’s Wall or Cape Town’s Table Top
but standing with you, that’s what mattered more
because your youthful smile didn’t stop.
The view from here above I now can see.
A child climbs chairs; he’s looking up to me.

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Well, that's the poem. As explanation behind it, my dad often speaks of his first memory being a child wanting to know what was on top of the table. And then I took for his experiences of being a child in war torn London, being sent to the countryside. Then later in life he was in the military and went to Singapore. In fact he's traveled since then all over the place, 2 of which are mentioned. But what I've really seen about my dad is not just that he loves to travel and see new things, but that he likes to share that experience with us his kids, and with his grandkids, and with his nieces and nephews and grandnephews and yeah. He's a big family guy for which I admire him greatly. This poem is dedicated to him.