Driveway Dads

I wrote this poem for my husband, who has kindly supported my efforts to be a good mom.  He has made a lot of sacrifices too so I could live my dream (cheesy or out-of-date as it may sound) of being a mom.  He has lived with: very sub-par dinners for quite a while now, messy house, unorganized closets and pantries, unironed shirts; he's carried the weight of the bills, the yard, and snow removal on his shoulders; and most of all, has gone to work each day...solid as a rock, even though there are many many other places he'd rather be.  

He may hide it, but he is a sweet dad who is very sentimental and loves these kids a lot.

Oh, yeah, and I'm glad I have a treadmill.   :)  This poem isn't perfect, as usual, suggestions appreciated.

Driveway Dads

Running solo today,

Early winter morning,

So cold my nostrils frozen,

My face raw with biting cold.

Alone,

Crunching through fog on the icy road,

Most houses dark and sleeping—

Still.

But here, a white pick-up

Puffing gray smoke into the night;

I imagine it as

A caged beast,

Warming its hands with its breath,

Shifting its weight back and forth,

Trying for warmth in the acrid night;

Waiting, there,

For

Dad

To brave the dark and ice

On his way to the Western Front.

Soon another truck, chortling

In wait,

And another,

Humming through the darkness.

One by one

The waiting ones

Stand up on their haunches,

Racing to

Pass me in the night,

Their tail lights blurring

Through the fog,

Swallowed up by the pitch.

Now it’s lightening,

As a new neighborhood yawns

Awake.

Here a dad

Puffing piles of soft

White snow

As his shovel

Grates on the ice below,

Pshhuk-puff, pshhuk-puff.

Now a rust-haired dad

Pulls a bright blue

Recycle bin

From the road with a

Smile and a

Good morning!

As a bright blue day

Shines out

Of the frigid cold,

I return home to see

My driveway

Dusted off in neat lines,

Trash receptacle replaced,

And my husband

Hurrying off to his

Waiting car

To brave a new day for us--

Without

A word.

Also, check out this cute parody for fathers day from one of my new favorite blogs, Design Mom.

Or this post I wrote about my own dad.