Papa's Poem
Where are you?
I can’t find you, I cant see you.
I call out your name and come to find you.
I want to find you in the shed,
making Linda’s sledge.
Whistling to yourself as you go along.
I want to find you in Hemsby,
Giving Lois coca cola and a mars bar for breakfast
Here is 50p to buy an ice cream you’d say
So make sure you spend a little, save a little,
You would remind the grandchildren while going up the Dunes from the bungalow.
I want to find you in Great Yarmouth with Nana,
Where the town never sleeps with the blue china dog.
I want to find you driving your Hillman Minx along Old Bedford Road taking the great
grandchildren to the park for us to play on the red train and have an ice cream.
I want to find you in the flat listening to Nessum Dorma
Giving Julia and Jeremy a rough house
I want to find you in the Blackswan’s Garden
After being to Papa Chamberlaine’s allotment on a Sunday.
I want to find you doing you charity work sitting upstairs in McDonalds.
I want to find you at Diane and Grahame’s for your joint birthday with Julia.
With you being head of the family, watching everyone stop and talk,
Occasionally having a snooze but still having time to love them for them.
I want to find you one last time
reminding us not to forget the great from Great Yarmouth
Or “When I was in the war...”
But I still can’t find you.
Then I realise I have found you
You are still here.
You’re hiding well but we know you are around.
We can’t see you but we can feel you always
So when we say you are not around anymore –
You are – in our hearts, head and our memories.
We miss you...
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