My Father’s Chair

Our dinner table seated four
And with a leaf had room for more
But since our count was only three
It suited Sister, Mom and me

There was a time, till I was five
When our whole table was alive
Because in that now empty chair
A father was still sitting there

He’d teach me how to tie my shoes
Make popcorn, not cry when I lose
And always greet me with a smile
But never walk me down the aisle

Death would assign to other souls
His future father-daughter roles
And only cats would warm the seat
Where once with us he sat to eat

And so as Father’s Day draws near
If you’ve a father, hold him dear
For seldom does life give again
The chance to know what might have been