Through The Eyes of A Son
A poem by Laurel Thompson

A memory that I can't erase
Of tears streaming down my father's face.
It was the first time I had seen him cry.
At his father's grave to say good-bye.
A new phase of our life had begun
As I watched my Dad through the eyes of a son.


Dad was my role model; the man I wanted to be.
Seeing him cry like that was confusing to me.
When we would go hunting, I was afraid we'd see a bear.
I always felt safe just because Dad was there.
Dad could make everything right; he was the strong one.
But now I saw him differently, through the eyes of a son.


I became a man that day and knew I had to face
That someday I would be the one standing in his place.
Sometime in the future, I'd be beside his grave
And when that moment came, how could I be brave?
I tried to put the thought aside and prayed it would never come
As I felt the tears shed that day through the eyes of a son.


Life went on as it always does.
We were too busy living to remember what was.
My Dad smoked and drank and built fast cars.
I smoked and raced and hung out in bars.
A teenage boy just wants to have fun,
Watching the example Dad set through the eyes of a son.


Dad worked as a mechanic; I worked by his side.
When he fixed a hard problem, I beamed with pride.
"If a man made it, I can fix it," he would always say.
I still live by those words, even today.
I can never quit until a job is done,
A lesson I learned through the eyes of a son.


I got a job in the city and went out on my own.
But when life got too tough, I could always go home.
It didn't matter what kind of a problem I had.
I could always count on getting help from my Dad.
He worked on my cars and made sure they would run.
I took him for granted through the eyes of a son.


I met a great girl; Dad was there on our wedding day.
I got a good job and moved far away.
After our children were born, we would visit each year.
But I regret that we did not live near.
They couldn't spend time with my father as I had done.
They never knew him as I did through the eyes of a son.


I got the phone call that Dad died today.
I wish I could have been with him when he passed away.
My wife packs my suitcase and prepares me to leave.
I listen to my Dad's country music and grieve.
Inside my chest, my heart seems to weigh a ton
As once again, tears fall through the eyes of a son.


My son sits beside me but doesn't know what to say.
I remember back to how I felt that long ago day.
He wants to support me by being here
But his eyes are filled with confusion and fear.
I want to give words of comfort but there are none
To remove the grief showing through the eyes of my son.


I realize I must be the best father I can
To help him grow up and become a man.
The wheel of my life has come full circle now.
Thoughts of my Dad give me strength somehow.
I am ready to do what my father has done,
Reflect a father's love through the eyes of a son.