I Knew It from the Start

#napowrimo 4-3-2013

I Knew It from the Start

By David C. Price

My father was a spy.

I knew it from the start.

He left each day in a German Bug,

And returned again each night.

My father was in the FBI.

I knew it from the start.

He went to protests and watched the crowd,

And talked with migrant farm hands.

My father had Swiss bank accounts.

I knew it from the start.

He lived and studied in Geneva,

And hid some francs at home.

My father knew the Kennedys.

I knew it from the start.

Bobby came to our house, I learned,

When running for president.

My father was a tennis champ.

I knew it from the start.

He hit the ball so fast and hard,

No one could defeat him.

My father was a carpenter.

I knew it from the start.

He built our house from scratch,

And ripped and stained like no one else.

My father was a railroad man.

I knew it from the start.

He knew each car by name,

And whence they came and went.

My father was a brilliant man.

I knew it from the start.

He named the birds and trees and plants,

While driving in the car.

My father was just like his dad.

I knew it from the start

They both were giants in the land,

And now a giant I must be.

I didn’t know that from the start.