Talking with Papa by George M. Stamps

Photo by Shane Huey. Taken while writing in the personal writing studio of Ernest Hemingway. Key West, FL, September 2021.

Tell your tale again old man
While we sit here by the sea
Tell of hot sun and dreams lost to sharks
And places you longed to be

Speak of the crowds thrilled by the bulls
And the blood that darkened the ground
Speak of the bars and drinks shared with friends
While the maidens gathered around

Speak of the lions that roared out their challenge
And hot winds that blew so free
Tell of the scars crossing your cheeks
And confess how the scars came to be

In the afternoon we may speak of death
And of the bell which always tolls
We may speak of these things into the night
While the sea continues to roll

Care not what others may offer to say
They have lived a coward’s dream
They know not what we speak of
They find you too extreme


George M. Stamps is freelance writer living in Kentucky. He is a lover of all things Hemingway.