I composed this poem some years ago; I decided to have it sent to your magazine. I live at Paradise.
The Kiss I Had Not Given

I know what I am going to do first
When I get to Heaven
I am going to meet my Daddy
with the kiss I had not given

I know that I will meet him there
For I often heard him pray
He taught me what was right and wrong
And pointed out the way

You see my Daddy lay very ill
Many months upon his bed
Momma worked hard to care for him
And kept us clothed and fed

My sisters and I, we play together
But we took every care
Not to make any noise
For our sick Daddy to hear

One night when we were playing
With our dollies on the floor
Momma said it's getting late
Please put them away and play no more

We did not want to go to bed
We were having so much fun
But Momma got us ready
And called us all to come

I wonder why Momma didn't
Tell us that we could
Stay up a little longer
We were playing quietly as we should

I was too young to realize then
My Daddy was gravely ill that night
He called us all to kiss him
But I turned the corner out of sight

I was feeling so down hearted
I tip-toed up the stairs
And jumped into the bed
After I had said my prayers

I quickly fell off to sleep
At dawn I woke with a fright
To see my dear Daddy
Standing by the window light

God sent him back to me
I saw his human form
He was wearing his burial clothes
Which was his soldier's uniform

I woke my oldest sister
She was sleeping by my side
I told her what I had seen
I was sure our Daddy had died

Then we listened and heard the whispers
As we leaned on the rail by the stairs
I heard Momma say we won't tell the children yet
In a grieving voice through her tears

We knew then our Daddy had died
We let our younger sisters sleep on
But Daddy was suffering no more
He had joined the Heavenly Throng

I meant to see and kiss him
The very first thing the next day
I wondered how much I hurt him
And now he couldn't say

I wished someone had told me that night
My Daddy would soon die
I would have kissed him many times
But now I can only cry

This is the story of the kiss
The one I had not given
I have it all wrapped up and ready
For my Daddy when we meet in Heaven   Submitted By: NULL