Daffodils ~ Floriade 2008

"Daffodils" (1804)

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

Dad of my Childhood

through a child's eyes

Golden book stories
sitting on your knee
watching war movies
and westerns
and detective shows
In the garage
wood shavings galore
and hammering too
nails and chisels
and hinges and more
Watching you play basketball
and standing under the ski jump
watching you fly
Picking peas and rhubarb in the garden
and eating them before they could get inside
Playing with the big white rabbit
















Riding my bike
Eating Weatbix and toast
Drinking coffee and beer
Milk coffee biscuits
Smoked Cod and potatoes
Meatballs and gravy
Sweet and sour pork
Salami and cheese
Jam sandwiches....

my hero, my dad