My Dad Used to Fly

 
When I was little
My dad used to take to the big stadium
Filled with fifty thousand people
And we’d catch a football match
But now the memory seems to fade away

Many decades later
When he was an old man
I used to take him and my boys
To watch the Galaxy

I’d swear there was a twinkle
In his eye
Like he was remembering old times
When he used to be on the pitch
Trying to make it to the big leagues

I can almost see him
A goalie
In his uniform
All muddy in the drizzle
The crowd of a hundred
Must have felt like thousands
Screaming at the team

My dad used to fly
Like they do on those sports clips
Gloved hand extending outward
Trying to make save

And I always thought
It must’ve hurt when he’d land
But I never dared to ask
But all he’d say was:
You gotta have reflexes like a cat

Today it’s been two years
As I sit here
Remembering him
Not as an old man
But as a young and vibrant lad
Wishing I could tell him
Let’s sit and watch a game
Tell me about all those times you played
So that my memory won’t fade away
Because I still miss you dad