Donnie

Donnie searched high and low
Looking for his beloved toy
A red car with a white stripe
He'd had since he was a young boy.

He couldn't quite remember why
But it was his favourite by far
And as his mum watched on
She remembered when he got his car

His dad had given it to him
On a depressing rainy day
Looking pale and feeble
On his death bed he lay

He put it in his son's hands and said
"Take care of this toy
For as long as this car is with you
You will always remain my boy"

And after he said these words
He let out a final sigh
And passed away into the night
To float into the sky

Donnie didn't remember this
For he was only young
But to his dear mother
Donnie's father was a hero, unsung

He'd put away hundreds of men
For terrible crimes untold
He would come home fit
And always looked so bold

Until one day a gun went off
And shot him through the chest
And he stayed in that hospital bed
Until he was laid to rest

A tear rolled down his mother's face
As she watched Donnie look around
But alas that red and white striped car
Was nowhere to be found

Slowly as the years went by
His room began to change
All his toys disappeared
However his bed remained the same

Posters went up on the walls
Of sport celebrities
Clothes littered the floor
The shelves covered with CD's

One day Donnie dropped a letter
It fell under the bed
He bent down to retrieve it
When he saw a glimpse of red

He reached out to grab the item
His hand wrapped around the toy
And as he pulled out the little car
He remembered when he was a boy

He went down to his mother
And asked her when he got it
She looked at her 19 year old son
And told him to sit

She told him of his father
Who bravely died 17 years ago
And all about the toy car,
The tears began to flow

Donnie stared at the toy in his hands
Then looked up at his mum
"This car means so much
But I don't need it to be his son"

"I will cherish it,
Keep it as a living memory,
I will take care of it
As it is was a present for me."

"But I will always remember that my father
Died bravely for human kind,
And I think you will see,
That is the greatest gift you'll find."

His mother smiled at Donnie
As one final tear dropped to her knee
"I think you'll find, dear Donnie
That you were his gift to me."

"You're so much like your father,
Smart, gentle and kind
And you are gifted just like him
With a brilliant mind."