Does he know?

I wonder if he knows that I
cannot sleep when he's not home.
I must protect the house in his absence,
our property and our family.

I wonder if he knows that he
can only win fights for so long.
Thugs in pubs stay the same age,
as his temples go white.

I wonder if he knows that we
do not see the same man when he drinks,
someone foreign and unknown,
a beast without a name.

I wonder if he knows that it
is killing him slowly.
Liver, brain cells, kidneys,
respect of his only love.

I wonder if he knows that I
think about this often.
Does he know that the drinks
dry up more quickly than tears?

Reviews

[Satan]

Just be proud of yourself that you are intelligent enough to be aware that he isn't going about things the right way. Hopefully you have the will power to break that unhealthy chain and don't slip into the same traps as you age. Your honesty and bravery inspires me, so I thank you. If you ever need to talk someone and no one's around feel free to flick me a message. Peace out =]

[Nadia Gerassimenko]

"Does he know that the drinks
dry up more quickly than tears?"
That hit me straight in the core. Poor those who have to deal with an alcoholic in a family, especially the boys who have to become the father of the family in the father's absence...and sometimes, even in presence for you never know of the unpredictability of the alcoholic. It destroys families and haunts the victims' minds forever. This is a very tragic poem and captures the essence of living with an alcoholic father and husband.

[Will]

I'm glad you could connect to the emotion of the piece, thanks for reading :)

[Baby Ricochet]

Some real truth about alcoholic fathers here. Great work Will

[Will]

Thank you much. Hopefully more to come

[Rita L. Sev]

You write a raw truth here, Will - one that many of us have known. This line especially touched me:
Thugs in pubs stay the same age,
as his temples go white.

If only we could make our loved ones see how we feel... Excellent write.

[Will]

One of my favorite lines as well. Thanks for the feedback, Rita :)

[Heartful5160]

Great write. I can almost relate to this. My father had died from a heartattack and he was drinking all the time. He never did leave the house all the time and go to a bar, but it was like he didn't care about nothing when he was drunk, so it was really like he wasn't there. He was never himself for the family, so why consider him there in the first place? But I can totally relate to this piece and I love work that I can relate to. Great job!

[Will]

I'm always glad to hear that my writing can make people feel something. Thanks for reading :)

[Heartful5160]

Your welcome.

[Leslie Philibert]

Good write,, very honest....

[SomeOwl]

The honesty in this piece is so raw, it was a very enjoyable read. I love it.

[Will]

Thank you so much :)