Pleased to have new music in his world,
The friendly man felt glad.
It was the nicest feeling of its sort
That he had ever had.
He whistled the catchy tune
That he had heard the music creatures make
And came once more upon
A very glassy lake.
But this was different - it was small.
Around it all the trees were tall
And on the shore there sat a boy -
Not a happy little chap at all.
No more then four, he sat alone -
Arms tight around his knees -
Freckled nose in speckled light
From the sunlight through the trees.
Up on the slope, the man stood still
And watched the boy a while
And after waiting for some time,
Approached him with a smile.
But the child was glum, his head was down.
He stared at the lake with a heavy frown
Yet he must have known the man was there
For he spoke - as if into the air.
In a toddler’s voice with baby words
He spoke his troubled mind -
Asked if the man had seen his dad
For that was who he’d come to find.
So far away from home he was,
So far away from love.
So little time to learn it all -
Four years was not enough.
He truly loved his father so much
And yet he’d gone away.
How come he wasn’t coming home
Like he used to every day?
His little sister missed him too
But she might soon forget -
She wasn’t old enough
To have bonded with him yet.
Why do you think your father left?
The man asked of the boy.
He said that he could see
He and his mother had no joy
So they parted rather sudden -
One day there, the next day not
And until his dad came back again,
He wasn’t moving from that spot.
The man felt sad for this young boy
And sat down next to him,
Giving him a gentle hug
And, with a finger, raised his chin.
Your dad will never leave you, son
Because he knows just how you feel
And his heart is also heavy now.
You see, his love for you is real.
Remember, you are your daddy’s boy
And that’s who you’ll always be.
Before you know it he’ll be back
And love you even more – you’ll see.
So stay here if you really must
But otherwise come with me
And I’ll help you pass the time away
In my Airy Land world of fantasy.
The boy then looked at the friendly man
And judged him to be true.
Then he smiled a little bashfully
And was no longer blue
For he knew his dad was still his friend
And would never desert him that way.
He’d be back as soon as he could
And he now looked forward to that day.
A child is alone in his world when he’s young
And his strongest connection is gone.
To leave him is one thing, to hurt him is worse.
So take heed – you’re his only one.
SJ
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