THE GIFT

The house now stands empty

where the old folks used to be

waiting to be filled again

with the sounds of a family.

Maybe a child at play

on some afternoon

or just the sound of a radio

playing a well known tune.

But I will always remember the old man

with his tales of long ago

of how he lived as a working man

and the folks he used to know.

And I’ll remember the old man’s wife

a little anxious, like she could be

but always happy to spend some time

sharing a laugh with me.

Their joy was in the simple things

like a flower coming in to bloom

the happiness in the eyes of a child

and those good old fashioned tunes.

But the greatest gift they had in life

is given by a women to a man

oh how they loved their baby girl

from the day her life began.

Now they’ve passed their gift to me

to love her as my own

for now and all eternity

so she is not alone.