Heartbreaking Father’s Day Poem – “You Carried Me High”

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers out there, young and old – may you always be an inspiration to your kids!

If there’s anyone who for any reason doesn’t see or call their dad as often as they might, I pray that this little poem will serve as a gentle reminder that time isn’t always on our side…

This one’s for you, Dad – I miss you more with each passing day!

You Carried Me High!

You carried me high when the parade went by
Carried me high on your shoulders
You carried me high so I could touch the sky
As I sat up high on your shoulders

You carried me high when the dog ran by
Kissed away the tears that rose in my eye
Said, “Son, nothing in this world can make you cry
When you’re safe up high on my shoulders”

You flung me up high when I won that race
Great shout of joy when I gained first place
Your pride writ large all over your face
As you carried me home on your shoulders

Remember that game, you whirled me around
First in the air then down near the ground
Arms outstretched, by your strong arms bound
As I soared high over your shoulders

The world went by, I forgot how to cry
I saw not your pain or the tear in your eye
I thought not of the days when I’d learned to fly
As you carried me high on your shoulders

A life filled with drugs and the law of the gun
Clouded the love between a man and his son
Left you wondering where things went so wrong
As you carried the guilt on your shoulders

The letters I wrote of the things I’d done
How I’d cleaned up my life, I burned every one
My fear too great that you’d forgotten the son
You’d carried so high on your shoulders

Dad, I’m sorry for the life I never lead
I’m sorry for the hurt that I caused instead
I’m sorry for the things I left unsaid
While I carried my guilt on my shoulders

Now no one stops as the crowds pass by
Just an old man gone and they don’t care why
There’s a tremble in my knee and a tear in my eye
As I carry you home on my shoulder

It’s a beautiful day, Dad, not a cloud in the sky
It’s your turn now to soar and fly
There’s nothing in this world can make you cry
As I carry you home on my shoulder…

Copyright 2015 © Paul Christie