When My Dad Looked Big

When My Dad Looked Big
By Paul Petersen

I sat on his lap all cozy and warm,
He held me and loved me,
He would do me no harm.

His hands were massive,
His face very long,
His head was so huge,
His muscles so strong.

I wanted him to hold me,
For oh, so long!

My dad was my hero,
The toughest in town,
No one could mess with us,
If he were around.

When my dad looked big,
I would put on his shoes,
I would struggle to walk,
I could hardly move.

I would put on his coat,
I would put on his robe.
I was the king … with my very sharp sword.

When my dad looked big,
Things were good at our house.
We always had food.
There was love for his spouse.

I felt pretty good when my dad was around,
I was so cool, yes, the coolest in town.
I learned from the best,
Yes, I learned all he knew.
Soon I discovered ... others knew more.

My dad seemed to shrink,
Yes, a little each day.,
That was alright,
Old people get smaller they say.

I was so smart … I knew lots of things,
I had all the answers to the important things.
My dad was still cool in a distant sort of way,
It was good when he wasn't around,
To hear the things I might say.

My hands are big now,
My face getting long,
My head getting huge,
My muscles so strong,
Dad was just shrinking as time went along.

His hands weren't so wide,
His head not so big,
His shoes were about my size,
His robe not too big,
And who cares about playing kings?
Life is about me.
In a way I am king, I do what I please.

On that day it was a terrible shock,
They took him away... two men with a cot.
We all cried and wondered...
Yes, we wondered a lot.

Mom was so small and so were my brothers,
My sisters were puny,
But not their big brother!
I was big now, as big as my dad.
I would take care of my family like dad.

Life became hard,
Yes it was tough,
I wasn't so big,
Everyone was so rough.

I struggled my way through,
I learned quite a bit,
About life and its importance...
Yes, every whit!

One day, I sat on the couch and my son climbed on me.
He looked at my hands,
I wondered ... what does he see?

He looked at my head,
He must think it's huge,
He looked at my arms, and then he looked at his.

He puts on my shoes and struggles around,
He puts on my coat with a sword in his hand.
He is a king with a very sharp sword.

As tears come to my eyes...
My mind goes back in time.
To when my dad looked big,
And life was so fine.

I climb on his lap,
I look at his hands,
I look at his face,
Now I understand...

He is bigger than I remember,
I seem so small...

Am I big to my children?
As big as my dad?

I must always be big to them,
And remember when my dad looked big to me.