Early Childhood Poem by Gert Strydom

(in answer to Richard Aldington)

The hurt, the loss of my father at a very early age
brought me to my knees and to God
and I started to love God from being very young,
did not understand to where my dad had left,
although I saw people bury his coffin
in the cemetery just beyond our house
and death of people and animals
to me was a painful kind of thing
that went far beyond any kind of comprehension

but I did believe that God was still caring
although I missed my father terribly,
believed with the same honest sincerity
that my mother did when she asked God
to provide, to take care of us
and she cared with a selfless kind of love.

When I was about seven our puppy got tick-bite fever
and on that winter afternoon it laid dying
right next to the fireplace
and made a moaning sound and was silent.
I covered it with a small blanket
and the puppy was already stiff
but I did not realize that it had died
and in front of that fireplace prayed
for the little dog to be healed.

That afternoon a miracle did happen
and that small dog came alive again,
crept out from under the blanket
and on waggling legs walked right up to me
to drink a bowl of milk
and it was pure proof to me
that a caring and loving God does exist.

[Reference: “Childhood” by Richard Aldington.]