Parenting Cycle!

A snapshot of parenting after WW2.

 

 How can one word alone describe,

The love of parents for their child?

The cliché LOVE I magnify,

Complex thoughts to analyse!

A parent lives; a parent dies.

Thoughts and memories crystallize.

Reflecting on affection brings

A thousand phrases gathering.

 

Thank you for that golden mile.

A lifetime of my Mother’s smiles.

Never parched or acid smiles

But ‘peels of bells‘, eyes dancing wide!

A stinging smack, gets butter rub.

It's as a tigress nips her cub.

 

Prepared me for life’s chilly blast

As cobblers work upon their lasts.

“Special shoes” that they prepare

For eighty years of constant wear.

And then trimmed in perfect shape

Deep polishing the shoes awake.

Imprinted in the leather genes

Generational patterns, rules and schemes!

 

Young love lost in my early years,

They hugged away pain and tears.

Tender words, advice and pleas

Returned me to reality!

Confused by sexuality,

Helped me keep my dignity!

Forgiving was continual!

Always welcome, prodigal!

 

Predicting all my future fights

They dealt my tarot cards of life.

At graduations, presentations,

Proudly told all relations.

Parents standing at my side,

Basking, tearful, joyous pride.

They thrilled, excited at life’s fork

The first day I left home for work!

 

A parent’s love does not fear hate.

With kindness they retaliate.

Only the love of Kith and Kin

Incorporates lifes discipline!

Then household mirrors comprehend,

How we start to look like them?

Metamorphosis now done,

Time for children of our own.

 

 

Holding now my children three.

(Identically, as they held me.)

Firm and tender arms, hold child.

Tender murmurs sweet and kind.

To give us peace, rest and space

They tend our children in our place.

When ‘silver spun’ still they strive,

To help, support us, with our lives.

 

I curse you bitter herb of night

That  brought my parents' end in sight.

Bent low in bony frailty,

Still thinking of us selflessly.

Here at her death bed she wants to leave

With  final image, just of me!

And hold in dying cataract

Great triumph of her life’s long act.

Author's Note

I do hope this system can survive the modern world. It hurts me still to read this.

Reviews

[Arya_the_elven_lady]

Love it :D

[Suzanne Sherif]

Very touching! Like you, I am a parent, and both of my parents have passed on.

We never actually understand our parents' love for us until we have children of our own. Only then do we realize that there is no way that our kids, no matter how much they love us, will love us the way that we love them. And that's perfectly okay. We fully accept that.

What no one tells you is that even when you are an adult, it's still hard when your parents pass on. The thing I miss the most to this very day is sharing my "minutiae" with my mother, four or five times a day. Let's face it, no one but a parent would take such joy in hearing about all of the small details in our lives. : )

[Writeress]

This is such a genuinely nice poem to read. My Mum has rarely done anything for herself since she had my brother and I. We're "adults" now. And she still lives her life around and for us. I feel so guilty she lets her health go so downhill for my benefit and there isn't a lot I can do to make her relax. But she'd be happy if I wrote a poem like this for her.

[Donald Meikle]

As do I my friend. The nanny state is scarily upon us.( act 2) already leaves some impact

[Amanda]

what a wonderful tribute to a parents' love...they give us life, tend our wounds(of all kinds, if you know what i mean!), when we trip and fall, nurture us till we are grown...and sometimes still when we have our own to tend. it is the cycle of life and love, to pass along once we too are the parental love.

a beautifully written poem, Ron. thanks for sharing :)

Amanda