#52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 24 Prompt: 'Fathers Day'

Week 24. Prompt: Father’s Day.

As this prompt is relevant time-wise to the other side of the world, I will transgress a little and type out a poem my Daddy composed in 1950 and added to, in 1981.

1950

We have two rascally daughters, their hair’s tomato blonde

and though they are such mischiefs of them I’m very fond

The first her name is Frances - in years she numbers seven

I’m sure her ways will take her to everywhere bar Heaven

And then there’s little Isabel, so sweet, but knows her mind, 

She has a perpetual twinkle of the most mischievious kind.

These two have one big brother and fight with him in turn

While Billie he looks down his nose, some day no doubt he’ll learn.

1981

Some thirty years have now gone by, in fact I should add one

And these young lives have since matured and guess what they have done.

Those girls both through nursing trained and overseas they went

And Frances since moved far away, there many years has spent

Her voice has quite a Yankie flow and Mum has changed to 'Mom'

and two young Nelsons are the fruit of life across the pond.

Now Isabel though not so far, 3500 miles or so

has too a fine young family as well a handsome beau

These fine young ladies all named Flynn and Dad his name is John

who finds he has to permanently work his fingers to the bone

But happiness is theirs and friends as many as of yore

when Poppy formed that witty verse some thirty years before

Our Bill became the wanderer, through the world he went

we’d like to see him settle down and wish he be content

But Bill has caught this modern craze and computers are his bend

and what life further holds for him we’ll find out in the end

no doubt a fine young lady will capture him in time 

and then the two will gain for each a happy life sublime

Should Nanny Noo and Poppy too now leave this earthly shore

feeling at ease and satisfied to look for what’s in store 

and enter in a lighter sphere with all who’ve gone before.

Dad (1904-1982); Mum (1913- 1996); brother Bill (1941-2004) in Victoria in the 1960's.