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.

[Balkaran Sidhu]

beautiful write sir...as always....touched my heart

[Tate Morgan]

thank you

[Frances Roberts-Reilly]

Your poem resonates in so many heartfelt ways. I can relate to the importance of leaving a living legacy and the power of a simple story to transcend time; in our family it the harp that binds our hearts with its strings through many generations.Thank you for articulating so well, the tender longings shared between a father and a son and for remembering and reminding us to cherish the lost boy, always.

[Tate Morgan]

Frances Thank you I am still recovering from pneumonia I thought your review was very sweet

[Keith]

A knife can certainly be a precious symbol when passed down. Again you have delivered your message in a delightful way,

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you I added you as a friend . I think little things like this mean so much to us when we grow .The approval of our father makes a better man of us

[trainwreck]

Lovely poem! Thank you for sharing this. The bonds that bind people to us like family are the greatest things we can have in this lifetime.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you so much .Nice to hear from you as well. I hope thew sun shines on you today

[john alan willox]

I have a knife that my father gave me - he took it from a drunken "friend" of his who was threatening his wife - it was not a proud story about his bravery - it was a story about the stupid things drunk men do - i keep the knife on a shelf in a utility closet and look at it once in a while to remind myself that sharp things cut and my dad was one sharp man... Thanks Tate.

[Tate Morgan]

Well the pocket knife I gave away symbolized what i thought of him as a boy

[Rita L. Sev]

Much more than a knife, you gave that boy a taste of trust, of man-to-man bonding that he needed. A sobering story, a great write.

[Tate Morgan]

thank you

[Jorj Jie]

This is so amazing... There's a knife that cuts, but this knife heals and inspires.

[Tate Morgan]

thank you i got your friend request i am just online with too many at the moment

[Talal Hussain]

What a wonderful composition...loved it :-)

[Tate Morgan]

Talal Thank you Very much

[Aaliya]

An unspoken legacy, a tradition...carried through generations, bonding them with an affection unspoken yet felt as strongly as blood coursing through their veins. This poetry moves the reader and how. I have never read such a masterful depiction of male bonding...You are a very thinking man and an awesome writer. Thank you.

[Tate Morgan]

thank you so much I am humbled by your praise