What my pa thought disaster
In his first faltering attempt
As he was quite a task master
And no one was the least exempt
Ma and him was fooling around
Back in ’47 during the post-war
When quite suddenly they found
The need they had for a pastor
Nine months passed quickly
A girl named Sarah was born
Emotions then ran rather thickly
This child was to be forlorn
But later with a second chance
Continuing with persistence
Afterthoughts of a romance
While unlimited with insistence
Maybe things could’ve been worse?
Had I been a bit more compliant
But I stood up to his curse
Decided to be a little more defiant
Him like a king in his palace
With judgments dire and strict
Never meant to deal in malice
Or beat the issues with a stick
He was much harder on my brother
For I managed to outwit him
He lambasted my poor mother
I kept a margin with a trim
Drink and women did him in
He could not get the best of them
Run ragged, broke and thin
He died with a crusted brim
Yes, he much abused my mother
And still, somehow I survived
He was much worse with my brother
Yet and still I have even thrived
So he got thrashed and now he’s gone
We made peace at the last
Watching grass grow on the lawn
The trend was written in the past