My Old Daddy

My old daddy used to say
get 'em young
treat 'em rough
and tell 'em nothing

And so how did this philosophy
work out for him?

Married thirty-seven years
to a beautiful woman
with such a strong sense of balance
that without ever a demeaning word
she caused him now and then to pull up short
so aware of his unresolved self-conflict
that I'm not sure he ever recovered

Books could be written of that
and perhaps will be
But he was a man of such sayings
always delivered with a wink
and what the hell can I make of that?