Walks With Dad(The Circle Makes A Round) Poem by Pleasant Dabbs

Every Saturday my boy grabbed my hand and said,
"Let's go out for a walk dad.
It's our time together, just you and me."
You loved walking with your dad

I loved walking with my son
For years our Saturday mornings went that way
Just dad and his boy walking together
Hand in hand, side by side

One Saturday you took my hand and said
"Come dad and take a look at my baseball jersey
The games start next Saturday, please come and
Watch me play dad…I know you will"


You were happy- I was happy…and sad
Happy because you were happy
Sad because I knew from now on
Things would never be the same


When the baseball season was over
You wanted a Cocker Spaniel
I took you out to buy a small cocker pup
Along with a new collar and leash


Now your hand held the leash
As you took Buddy for a walk Saturday mornings
A boy needs a friend, a dog needs a friend
But dad needed a friend also


No more Saturday walks for the two of us
You walked Saturday mornings with Buddy's leash in your hand now
Time passed, the days went fast, you grew and grew
It got to where I could no longer call you ‘boy'


My ‘no longer boy' loved Buddy
But he had to put the leash away
And stick Buddy in the back yard
His hand was holding something softer now


Kirsty was her name…not a dog
But a female, a friend, a close friend
I was still there alone in the house
Buddy was alone in the backyard


The two ‘loners' persuaded by me and the leash
Began to go out together on Saturday mornings.
When I went out with Buddy he was walking with a friend
But he didn't quite take the place of my son


Some years later I opened up the window blinds
Looked out and saw my son walking up to my door
With a little boy holding onto his hand
He knocked on the door, I opened it up


My boy saw my surprised face and said
"Dad, will you take this little boy for a walk
Like we always did? I have to take his mother
To the hospital…another boy is coming"


"He wanted to take a walk today
And wanted to meet his grandpa"
So as I (dad) took him by the hand my son said,
"My boy we'll do both…here dad, please take him for a walk"


As I grabbed Justin's hand my mind went back
To when me and my boy had our first walks
Together; and now me and my boy's boy
Walked together, hand in hand, side by side


No, it wasn't my boys' hand, it wasn't the dogs' leash
It was the hand of the son of my boy
My boy passed his son's hand on to me
He placed his total trust and his utmost love


In the hands of his dad…the friend that dad needed
Was now his ‘grand friend', no it wasn't his son
But perhaps a treasure even better than his son
My son put his full faith and trust in the hands


Of his dad…yes, his dad had a grand friend now
By his side. But this ‘grand friend' was more
Special than any other friend he had had
Because he was holding onto the hand of


His very first ‘grand-son'
Yes, life's cycle goes on
When the cycle is complete then
The Circle Makes a Round

Christopher Aaron