.
“Daddy! There’s the big yellow ‘M’!”
“May I take your order ple—?”
“One Big Mac, Coke and fries!” Dad yells, “and—”
“Happy Meal for me!”
“Coach” Dad would bus our team for shakes
(whether we lost or won)
cocooned in camaraderie,
Great times, those days such fun!
The day I cashed my first pay check,
I flashed the pick-up’s keys:
“Hey, Pop, this time the Mac’s on me!”
“Then, I’ll have three!” he teased.
When it’s time to run some errands
and he’s missed his 40 winks,
what perks up Father in no time?
His Senior Coffee drink.
To slake our late-night “snack-attacks,”
(or when we’re sad—or happy)
I head the coupe down Memory Lane…
“One Happy Meal!” yells Pappy.
“Nostalgia’s just not what it was,”
oh, that’s what some folks say.
Those arches, though, for Dad and me?
They still can make our day!
.
.
Tonia Kalouria, a former Spanish teacher and “soap” actress, is now a poet in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Her most recent—and rhyming—poems appear in Literary Veganism and Fox Hollow Stories, and two anthologies: “Quoth the Raven” and “Poems from the Lockdown.”
Tonia, I love the title – it frames the memories of yesteryear perfectly. I also love how the years bring a role reversal with; “Hey, Pop, this time the Mac’s on me!” I love the memory lane moment, and the closing stanza is a heart-touching triumph. I also love the humor. This is a truly beautiful poem for Father’s Day. Thank you!
Dear Susan,
I really appreciate your insightful comments. Thank you so much.
Tonia
Very clever title that sets up the whole “trip”! You captured how life changes through the years, yet found the arches to anchor the love between father and son. Excellent, Tonia!
Dear Veronica,
Thank you so much for your comments. I like your” arches as anchor” analogy especially.