A Rubber, Purple Dinosaur

Written for my son when he was 5

Five years ago a drastic change
Came upon my life;
A newborn son who filled my days
And kept me up all night

I had once been a rambling man
No strings to bind my soul.
The thought of home and family
Was not for one so bold.

After all, I had been cool
So suave and debonair.
I’d wandered down life’s highway
Aloof and free from care.

You know, today I realized
How far from that I’d come
As I filled a pre-school bathtub
For my precious little son.

I stared into the lukewarm pool
And watched the faucet pour.
There, floating in the swirling tub,
A rubber dinosaur

Bobbed and dipped beneath the waves
And made its way between
Some tiny plastic people
And a silver F-14.

I’d never dreamed of such a life
But I wouldn’t change a thing.
My children fill me with such joy
And cause my heart to sing.

This little note is evidence
Of my deepest love
For the one whose purple dinosaur
Swims around my tub.