this morning, when on the verge of waking up, the song "puff the magic dragon" popped up in my head. and it brought to mind a memory from long ago when my little boy was still a little boy. i was then taking up guitar lessons and he loved that peter-paul-and-mary song. it was in the songbook i was using so he asked me to play and sing the song. so i did. i didn't quite realize until then that it was a rather sad song. before then, it was just a song with good lyrics and rhythm. by the time i sang the last note, i was quite in tears and my little boy was also in tears. he was about five then and i had to explain to him that the song was actually a 'coming of age' song. it's a sad song, but that we all grow up and we leave things behind, like youth, beliefs, innocence, and that someday he was going to leave home, too.
it's ironic that he has not shown up since 2012. he was mad at me about me telling him what reality is when it comes to divorces, separation, child support and being a father. he wanted custody of the boys but when they were here, he said it hurt him that his marriage didn't work. until the mother wouldn't let us see the boys unless he was around.
the last two years that we would have the boys, they never spoke about him nor did they ask about him. but you can see the hurt in their eyes and the hope in their faces that one day, they'd come here and he would be here to be a father to them again.
but that's all water under the bridge now. the boys have a new life and in a new city. another irony is when the boys used to come here during weekends, they loved it when we would sing the song on the karaoke.
i listened to the song tonight and indeed it is still a sad song despite the upbeat melody.
Ok now I am in tears too. It is so sad when families fall apart but we have that in my family too. My sister's son was getting a divorce when he was killed he had been fighting for custody of a nine month old son and a two year old daughter and the mom hasn't communicated with anyone in our family since 2008. Puff is a sad song but as they say, it is good to have had someone so worth missing. Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff
I used to sing this song in a folk trio! Yes, a sad song, but pretty. It's also sad when a family doesn't make it. Hopefully the new life and new city will be good for them. And I'm pretty sure they will not forget their visits with you and how much you love them. Skype is not perfect but it's sure better than not seeing them at all.
My son named our seaside caravan Honolee as it was by the sea. Love that songs great dragons featured. Going to join in soon. Sad tale, hope you are smiling soon.
@olivetreeann - i used to sing this song all the time and thought it was rather silly, until you have a son and he grows up and that's when you grasp the meaning of the lines of the song. i do communicate with the boys via facebook and i do call when i remember. i do think of them all the time though. thank you, ann.
@alia_801 - thank you, alia. i am in contact with the boys' mother and i am in constant contact with the boys and she encourages them to be in contact with me. as far as the son is concerned, he would have to resolve his inner demons before he can make a go of his life or have another family or even contact his sons.
Your narrative brought tears to my eyes, my son and I were estranged for a while......it was agony..........we are now sorted...........but I missed the first couple of years of my grandchildren's lives.
As for Puff the Magic Dragon, I can still sing that all the way through (I use the term sing very loosely!!)
Wow, another chapter of your novel, and a sad one, but what a happy photo to narrate it with. Love the purple dragon.....I really like dragons, and I kept hoping that I had one to use as a prop, but considering all the work that I did to photograph the house this week I am not tearing it up again!
January 17th, 2015
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@cheribug - thank you, my cheribug.
@pandorasecho - ironies of life, ain't it? thank you, my friend.
@bkbinthecity - thank you, brian.
@olivetreeann - i used to sing this song all the time and thought it was rather silly, until you have a son and he grows up and that's when you grasp the meaning of the lines of the song. i do communicate with the boys via facebook and i do call when i remember. i do think of them all the time though. thank you, ann.
@cheribug - true, at some point in your life, your perspective changes even with songs we take for granted. thank you again, my cheribug.
@bill_fe - much appreciated, my friend. much appreciated.
@neatz - thank you, anita. the toys are looking forward to your post!
@ceilidh - thank you, margaret.
@alia_801 - thank you, alia. i am in contact with the boys' mother and i am in constant contact with the boys and she encourages them to be in contact with me. as far as the son is concerned, he would have to resolve his inner demons before he can make a go of his life or have another family or even contact his sons.
Your narrative brought tears to my eyes, my son and I were estranged for a while......it was agony..........we are now sorted...........but I missed the first couple of years of my grandchildren's lives.
As for Puff the Magic Dragon, I can still sing that all the way through (I use the term sing very loosely!!)