how do I become
a father
who gives good gifts
to his children?
how do I possess
the sagacity
not only to choose
the right words
but right timing:
for building up
not tearing down?
we rise and fall
in accordance
with the favor
of our parents
blood and surrogate
before whom we will ever
be wide-eyed
and small
and waiting
for what they could not
know to give
how do I guide my girl
with strength
and softness?
how can I be a man
when I look in the mirror—
inside—
and see a boy
in strange clothes
and strange skin
struggling
to get in step
with a march
that so often defies
any sense of rhythm?
can we of our own will
bind ourselves to others
or must we hope
and trust
to be bound?
we have so little to give
we have so little we give
there are no accidents—
that may frighten you
or free you
December 2007
Posted by kevinreeve 