Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time Once upon a time my dad was young. He had dreams full of grandeur & a optimistic heart. He had plans in store for his unborn off springs & that wife of his he had yet to seek. He saw it all whenever he closed his eyes after a hard day's work on the farm. Vistas & Vistas of endless possibilities. Oh America! America will help him achieve those dreams. Surely & certainly. There was no doubt in his mind his dreams will play out like movies in those fancy cinemas. Those gold streets will be his setting; milk & honey his constant meal. Never would his heart ache again for success & a lavish lifestyle. In America those are a given. Fast forward a few years. My dad is a bit older, he now has a wife & two little ones in count (my older sister & I). Any day now the embassy should call & grant him legal entrance into the Second Heaven. Time goes by & my mom goes ahead of him. More time goes by & alas my dad's eager feet makes contact with American soil. At first he is a little disheartened; the strange dialect that sounds like cymbals to a foreign untrained ear disables him from getting a job for the 1st three years. Yet still, optimistically he tells himself ''It is only the first three years, only time will tell''. & time does tell only it bears bad news. More years later & more children in tow, & still no realized dreams. Often now, when my dad comes home from work he drags his feet on our worn carpet, his shoulders sag & he greets everyone with a quiet hello that is not so quiet. He doesn't like to complain but his repeated sighs say it all. He wants more than his dead end job, more than a measly apartment for his large family of seven. He wants more than to settle. Once upon a time my dad was young. He had dreams full of grandeur & a optimistic heart. Now my dad is still somewhat young but his dreams are swept underneath our welcome mat & his heart beats half empty.