The Night Watchman

There he sat, the night watchman;
huffing from exhaustion,
wet from rain.

He rode his bike through the gate
at the crack of dawn.

He worked nights in a building downtown,
standing watch,
like the gods at Olympus,
making sure nothing's amiss.

He had a fight with his son,
because of some toy he wanted badly,
which he could not give.

His son --
hurt him with words
that drove a stake through his heart,
took for granted his sacrifice
to make sure they never go hungry
and send his kids to the best schools.

The watchman sat,
huffing, wet from rain.
My dad.

(C) Jheric A. Saracho
November 16, 2004

I wrote this poem after the 1st Pinoypoets workshop.

I never think of the future - it comes soon enough. - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)