Thanks goes to my father Without him we'd be lost He gave his life to all of us A family came with cost
When I was but two years old He went to MIT But he had to leave that school My mom was sick, you see
He had to work much harder For everything we owned He saved and scraped and gave himself So we could have a home
When he was but a little boy He had to walk to school During Vermont winters Which were harsh and cruel
He was tested for IQ When he was in 8th grade His scores were highest in the state So building blocks were laid
For his education Was paramount to him He walked twelve miles to high school Through snow and sleet and rain
He was radar technician During WWII He was in Okinawa A sailor tried-and-true
So our education He worked for night and day We all went to private schools Because he got good pay
We never knew how hard he worked He rose at 5 a.m. That we'd have food and shelter And could be schooled for gain
Both my parents read to us And gave us the Great Books We were raised on Dickens Chaucer and the like
He gave us piano lessons We knew Beethoven and Bach Mozart and Vivaldi And he taught us how to talk
All of my abilities I owe to that man And of course my dear Mother Who schooled us through great pain
So here's to some great parents Married still it seems Over 60 years together I owe to them my genes
I just want to thank them My dear old dad this day You worked so hard to school us So we could find a way
I love you Clinton Jarvis You made me strong and bold A dedicated father
At 91 years old!
SoulSurvivor (C) 6/18/2016
My father is the strongest person I know. He went through things during the Great Depression that would daunt most adults. But he went through them with such grace and poise. He is a stoic. He never complains of the pain he's in. He's completely deaf and now his eyesight is going. But he's still strong mentally. And reads voraciously. I owe my poetic abilities and indeed my life to him. Thanks Dad!