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"Behind His Shadow"
Behind His Shadow
I remember the mental shoves,
intentions natural for a father
wanting his son to be more
than he ever was.
He toured with the pro-am all over the state
carried a 198 in three leagues,
bowling for dollars every Saturday night,
extra pay for Sunday cruises to A&W
and root beer floats for the whole family.
He loved the Dodgers even when we were in a Cardinal state,
if Koufax or Drysdale hooked it up against Gibson
we didn't miss a moment,
by tv or radio
with old friends popcorn and RC cola,
we never missed a pitch.
I remember learning to play poker at seven,
a basement full of smoke and Seagrams
and a grandmother turning red
because a kid raked in her pennies.
From California to KC to Texas
back and forth in a path of tire tracks
I followed faithfully,
born to run behind, always trying to catch up.
I never did make it to the pro's
though I made a few bucks along the way,
bowling for dollars myself.
I never became a Dodger
though I tried out for the Pirates when I was 17,
but the Seventies had already swallowed the dreams
of a father
for a son who never saw disappointment in his eyes,
maybe that was because he knew we were a lot a like.
"But I got to ramble (ramblin' man)
Oh I got to gamble (gamblin' man)
Got to got to ramble (ramblin' man)
I was born a ramblin' gamblin' man"
I remember a time when I thought life wasn't worth living
in the middle of the night he felt me leaving
and I had an Angel as he helped save me,
I wish I could have done the same for him.
Lord?
I hope he's still not disappointed.
*words in parenthesis by Bob Seger "Ramblin Gamblin Man"*
