In 1967, my father scripted a short simple verse. Somehow this nine line stanza took on a life of its own; my parents’ tenth child, if you will. At one time or another since, each sibling took up its cadence and made from it their own, marking births and deaths, anniversaries and simple celebrations of life, until the verses and versions are enough to fill a book. However, it is the original that remains our personal mantra. In its simplicity, it exemplifies a perfect formula for being a family.
A Bridge Between
A word, a laugh, a tear
A way back when
A helping hand now and then
An attentive ear to youth’s hopes and fear
A father’s yes to a child’s request
A mother’s prayer about some minor scare
A lighted candle on a birthday cake,
A joke, a smile, all these
Could make a bridge between.
written 1967 October 22 ~ Carlo A. Pola