! Tribute To 'Hozen' Poem by Linda Ori

Fathers come and fathers go
But this I have to say -
My father may be dead and gone
But I love him to this day;

He used to really rule the roost
We never crossed that line -
Or if we did we'd get the boot
Somewhere on our behind!

Yet still, he was a gentle man
He loved to read and play -
He taught us all about the stars,
And heaven's wondrous ways;

Each year on our vacation
There were many sights to see -
He planned the best route on the map
Excitement was the key;

He helped us with our homework
Though he did it his own way -
He always found a short cut
But the answers were OK;

He loved to go exploring
The mountains were his thing -
And any type of scenery
Could make his spirit sing;

His friends nicknamed him 'Hozen'
He was German by descent -
(There was a word that followed it,
They all knew what it meant):

My father died in '84
From a tumor in his brain -
They said it came on suddenly
It had a scarey name;

Though many years have come and gone
The memories still abound -
Alive in his uniqueness
I can feel he's still around.

Father's Day
6/15/2008