For My Father,
Edmund Lipon
March 7, 1919 — July 1, 2010

“You know what was your first mistake” you'd say,
After you'd beat me, teaching me to play
Chess. “What?” I'd ask, taking again the bait,
Eager to know what went wrong. You'd laugh,
And say: “Your first mistake was sitting down.”

No happiness is ever felt, without
Its being taken down, somewhere, remote,
In the ample ledger of the heart;
Where quietly it daily grows and turns
From sunny happiness to subtle shades
Of sad farewells and fading memories.