Dedicated to my son, Andrew
My precious boy with golden hair,
Came up one day beside my chair,
And fell upon his bended knee,
And said, “O daddy, please play with me!”
I said, “Not now, go on and play;
I’ve got so much to do today.”
He smiled through tears in eyes so blue,
When I said, “We’ll play when I get through.”
But the chores lasted all through the day,
And I never did find time to play.
When supper was over, and dishes done,
I was much too tired for my little son.
I tucked him in and kissed his cheek,
And watched my angel fall asleep.
As I tossed and turned upon my bed,
Those words kept ringing in my head.
“Not now, son, go on and play;
I’ve got so much to do today.”
I fell asleep, and in a minute’s span,
My little boy is a full-grown man.
No toys are there to clutter the floor,
No dirty fingerprints on the door.
No snacks to fix, no tears to dry.
The room just echoes my lonely sigh.
And now I’ve got time to play,
But my precious boy is gone away.
I awoke myself with a pitiful scream,
And realized it was just a dream.
For across the room in his little bed,
Lay my curly-haired boy, the sleepyhead.
My work will wait ’til another day,
For now I must find some time to play.