My Pa

My favorite memory of my dad. Once when I was six or seven years old I asked my dad to draw a tree for me. In my memory that tree was a masterpiece. It even had a little swing in it. At some point I made it my life's goal to become an artist so that I could one day draw a tree as good as the one my dad drew.

My first memory of my dad on stage is seeing him play Bottom from "A Midsummer Night's Dream". It was cool, he wore a donkey head. Later, at about eight years old, I saw him in "Macbeth" as Macbeth himself. That was cool too. He got his head cut off and stuck on a stick. He still has that head in the computer room. I thought he was famous. I quit thinking he was famous or cool at about age thirteen and there were some pretty rough times in our family but we've more or less grown out of those and come to a comfortable compromise.

Tonight I will see my dad on stage again in Love's Labor's Lost in a small role. He is warming up his chops to play King Lear in the fall. I think he is cool again and he is famous in his own way, at least with his kids, grand kids and the local theater crowd in Lincoln.

Break a leg tonight dad!

And now my favorite Fathers day poem, from Looney Toons'
"A Bear For Punishment".

My Pa
When the nasty old bogeyman
Fills me with fears
And my little old pinafore
Is all wet with tears
And my cute little pug nose
Is all red for crying
Who is it that saves me
And keeps me from dying?
My Pa!
When my little pink cheeks
Are pale with fright
Who is it that lifts me
And holds me tight
And says, "There, there, little man
Everything is all right?"
My Pa