Dad

Grandma had three sons and one daughter
All three sons went to war and two came home
Dad never complained but we all knew

Dad cut poplar and aspen logs
We helped to strip and mark them with a H
Then Mr. Hindman came by to buy them

Dad was always on the go
He worked in the bush
He knew how to use the cross-cut saw
He knew how to sharpen the chain
He'd file and file

He knew he had five girls and five boys to raise
He walked to work
Over the hard snow he would go across the field
He would wash the floors
He would shine the floors
At Valentine's day the kids had their own
Special Valentine

Dad and his cousins and friends
Would work the bush each spring
They would carry the sap
They would boil all day and night
Mom would have a chart on the way
Bottles she saved over the year would get filled
The first of the spring syrup was a treat
The family came first
Sometimes the community came first
Everyone waited for the maple syrup feast