He always was my hero,
Knowing how to make me smile.
The first man to ever own my heart,
When I was but a child.
No books were ever written,
To tell you of his story,
There are no statues dedicated,
Nothing to hail his glory.
A giant, honest working man,
Who broke his back and sweat,
And helped to build a nation,
With pride and great respect.
The pipes of steel and copper,
For years will long remain,
While he will turn back into dust,
An unknown common name.
As I pass by the smokestacks
That reach out to the sky
And hear the factories whistles,
I try hard not to cry.
The tools of his trade now silent,
His job, at last now is done,
And all thats left are the memories,
In the heart of his daughters and sons.
My father, John has been a proud member
of the Steamfitters Union for 45 years.
A stroke left him unable to work, but for
almost 40 years he was part of the industrial
strength and growth in the state of NJ.
Daddy didn't believe in calling out sick,
taking vacations or personal days off.
Many was the day he worked out in the elements.
Freezing in the dead of winter, and burning
up in the heat of summer, always making sure there
was a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.
Not always an easy task with 6 little ones.
This is for him, and all the Dad's out there,
who helped make this nation what it is today...
strong, proud and fiercly independant.
Thank you, Daddy.
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