The Blade

I know someday he'll cut himself as boys always seem to do Mixing his blood, with tears and mud to each owner it ever knew

Drake and I. Father son night at school.

My grandfather was a marine

who made us think he could spit nails

Forged in the war, baked to the core

a man honed from his life’s travails

From him came my own father

whom then worked sun up to sunset

Driving horses, on race courses

of a life I'll never forget

 

My grandfather had owned a knife

where it came from I'll never know

Held by this man, whose own life span

had never bent nor been laid low

He passed that knife to my father

who in turn then gave it to me

And through our blood, the dirt and mud

it had bound itself to all three

 

I met Drake when he was seven

a troubled, angry, lonesome, child

This wondrous brain, who hid his pain

in a heart that was brash and wild

He'd touched my soul in such a way

I couldn't help but feel his pain

So unafraid, I gave that blade

forging a link to my own chain

 

I know someday he'll cut himself

as boys always seem to do

Mixing his blood, in tears and mud

to each owner it ever knew

I wish I could have been Drake's dad

so sad that I wasn't the one

I hoped he'd see, this gift from me

was meant from a father to son

Author's Note

Drake and I have had a bond that was as strong as any father and child. I passed my knife onto Drake because he would appreciate it. I had hoped whenever he held it he would think of the bond between us.

Reviews

[Veronica Chandler]

This moving piece reminds me of just how profound an impact we have on the lives of one another; truly there is no measure sufficient to judge how a small and simple gesture can and does change the very fabric of people. Something which may seem a kind and moving gesture, may in the end, turn out to change the very course of a persons life. That simple act can grow exponentially and reach far beyond our wildest imaginings. Even our highest hopes for someone could easily be surpassed by the actual good, in the end created by a simple, thoughtful act of kindness. Those that came before us blazed the trail and made the way clearer for all those to come afterwards. I doubt your grandfather could have imagined how his legacy touched the life of someone he would never know.

""Every boy that has a father missing from his life, has a hole inside his soul the size and shape of his father. The mother can raise a good citizen, an educated man with good ethics and values, but he will always have that hole inside his soul; the size and shape of his father."
~Oprah~

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Veronica.It didn't go unnoticed by me that Oprah agrees with Mark Ric and I. Happiness is a joyous child.

[Lyn Anderson]

Personally, I do not believe that blood is always thicker than water, and sometimes the bonds we form with people who are not our blood, given freely and unconditionally, are stronger than ones we are obligated to make with our "relatives". He knows you are his and he is yours.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you I think you are right He knows as do I

[timthy]

The bond between you and Drake is evident and i know he appreciated it and realizes the bond that it represents. Just a small token can span a myriad of emotions...Drake is of your own blood , for he has been given the gift of the unconditional love of a stranger through the avenue of a friendly gesture...

[Tate Morgan]

I agree he needs a father i wish i could have been that for him. I think Veronica said it best
read moreI agree he needs a father i wish i could have been that for him. I think Veronica said it best
""Every boy that has a father missing from his life, has a hole inside his soul the size and shape of his father. The mother can raise a good citizen, an educated man with good ethics and values, but he will always have that hole inside his soul; the size and shape of his father."
~Oprah~

[Tate Morgan]

""Every boy that has a father missing from his life, has a hole inside his soul the size and shape of his father. The mother can raise a good citizen, an educated man with good ethics and values, but he will always have that hole inside his soul; the size and shape of his father."
~Oprah~

[AprilRN1210]

you are giving my heart strings some hearty tugging on this evening sir.. jeez.. this is so moving.. It really touches me when others "see" what most people don't take the time to.. Sometimes people just NEED someone to BE there for them, show they care, let them know that they MATTER.. I really loved this one too.. so heartwarming and tender.. Yes sir, I am officially a fan..

[Tate Morgan]

As i am of you. Yours is a truly genuine heart thank you I dedicated my second book to Drake when his grandmother died

[AprilRN1210]

awww, well thank you for those kind words.. I appreciate them.. That was very sweet. I am sure that meant a LOT to him..

[Tate Morgan]

You are welcome I am sure he will find me as we saw this coming and promised each other we would find one another when he was old enough he loves me so but no more than i do him

[AprilRN1210]

I am sure.. like you said in the first poem I reviewed tonight.. you have a way of coming home:)

[melissa]

Awesome poem i hope you keep writing them

[Tate Morgan]

Thanks i may just do that

[Raven Madd]

This is such a heart-warming story drawn from your real life experience, which gives the poem a very genuine feeling. It was deeply emotional, and the way it was presented illicited an immediate emotional response which was characterized by a somewhat menacholic feeling of nostalgia and sentiment. I loved it, it was a very pleasant read.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you very Much. I miss seeing this boy he is special

[Livvi]

Such a wonderful piece.
To read made my heart bleed!

[Tate Morgan]

So glad you liked it

[Tate Morgan]

Drake is a friend of mine a kid with no father in his life I have known him for 5 yrs now and he is quite the boy

[Ironbutt]

This one is a work of art.. weaving in the layers it takes to make a great story..the fact that most is actual..elavates the the end result.. well done.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you almost every thing I write about is taken from my own real life as was this true story this I call a narrative poem based on the pager meter thank you

[Glen Yumang Manese]

The sentiment of this one...a forged bonding of a history...passed down the generations and again passed down...the usage of words to convey that hits home in the lines of this piece...you weave the story from grandfather to father to son and again...

[Electric Scribe]

These is a beautiful poem. I know the pride & sentiment one holds for items that remind us of our loved ones.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you So glad you liked it.

[TrimarcoRansome]

The treasure is in the caring and being there and the action that you take, remember the old adage "Anyone can be a father, it takes someone very special to be a Dad" I love the way you write it gives the reader a mindful of images floating amongst your words

[Tate Morgan]

For years I would stop to see drake and share his boyish secrets.Including stories of his first girlfriends lol